“Stum!”
That’s what my son said to me, just like that, with no context.
Any idea what he could have been talking about?
Me neither, at first. Eventually I realized he meant “solar system,” referring to a video he wanted to watch.
The challenge for me was that he was using an abbreviation with absolutely no context or other clues as to its meaning.
I can’t fault him too much, given that he isn’t even 2 years old and can’t say the full term “solar system.”
I see this ALL THE TIME with the spreadsheets I come across, whether it’s technical jargon, or highly specific abbreviations for a particular industry or organization.
Don’t get me wrong, abbreviations certainly have a value. They save time speaking the full phrase, save space on the screen, and can even communicate a familiarity with a specific topic.
More often than not however, I find abbreviations to be unnecessarily confusing.
Given that, here are 4 tips to improving the clarity of abbreviations in your spreadsheets:
- Make the abbreviation as intuitive as possible. For example, abbreviate “Manager” with “Mgr.”
- Provide context. For example, use the “Mgr” abbreviation inside the “Manager” tab (worksheet).
- Provide documentation. For example, add a glossary tab or section where you spell out “Mgr = Manager.”
- Give a verbal and/or written heads up. For example, in the body of the email with your spreadsheet attached, mention explicitly that “Mgr = Manager.”