After having done a workshop with the client this week, I realized just how much I hate the metaphors consultants like to constantly stick in unnecessarily. Like, they'll explain they need to break down a big problem into several smaller parts...just like that, in a literal way. And then they follow it up with a metaphor like..."Like cutting the elephant into ten pieces." First of all, this is totally unnecessary, and I, being slightly slow, take longer to visualize this image and apply it to what was already literally explained. Second, I do not need the image of an animal chopped up. And I noticed that a lot of the metaphors consultants use relate to animals. Don't know why...and don't know why we feel the need to use them.
Some examples:
- the elephant one
- the 800 pound gorilla in the room (common one)
- we need to skin the cat (common one)
- it's like the tail wagging the dog (creative and weird visual)
I just really hate consultant-speak.
