JARGON OF THE WEEK: **Thought leadership**

Submitted by Victor on

Promoting the use of clear language among children's rights advocates

 

Contrary to first impressions, thought leadership does not entail following your favourite scholar around as if they were an umbrella-wielding tour guide. In fact, thought leadership is yet another term from the marketing sector that the human rights world has illegally adopted.

Simply put, thought leadership refers to when a person or an organisation is an authority on a particular issue. Anyone can be a thought leader, so long as what you say provides compelling answers to the key questions of a given issue, be it by giving an inspiring speech, publishing an innovative report, or even composing a spot-on tweet.

But like most jargon, thought leadership is a buzzword. And as is the case with buzzwords, they often have plain English alternatives. In this case, rather than describing someone as a thought leader, simply say they are leading [on an issue], or are at the forefront of debate.

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Child Rights International Network

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