Words Matter on the Jobsite!

By Cass Jacoby.  

Knowing the technical vocabulary for roofing is key to your success as a roofer, as these terms aid in clearer communication and conveying specialized information.  

How often have you been on the roof referring to something as a doodad or a dinglehopper? Have you ever found yourself seemingly speaking another language to your crew when you call something a different name than what they know it as? Perhaps someone has used a word you have never heard before and google is not helping narrow down the meaning. 

Words can be the difference between a job well done and disaster when on the roof, without technical words, we can't describe or communicate the right information to others. Moreover, as roofing technology continues to grow and connect our industry, having a set nomenclature becomes more and more important to these systems working together. That is why the National Roofing Contractors Association (NRCA) has an online technical glossary available as a tool that you can use to get on the same page as your team and expand your roofing expertise! 

It is important for anyone entering a profession to learn their profession's specialized language and to get on the same page with various terms within their field. Terminology is a necessity for professionals, as they are heavily tied to the communication and teaching of specialized knowledge, like roofing. 

Knowing the correct terms plays an important role in understanding context and professional texts. For example, knowing the name for a tool or material when ordering from a manufacturer can be the difference between a correct order and efficient job or a waste of time and money on the wrong thing. As technology continues to become a larger part of connecting the industry and streamlining our day-to-day operations, having an agreed-on standard for these terms becomes increasingly more important to these systems working as they should. 

Additionally, having a shared vocabulary is critical to communicating effectively with your team. While it seems like knowing the correct terms for everything is inconsequential, having a strong technical vocabulary is a huge part of expanding your roofing knowledge and communicating clearly. There is a lot of opportunity for error that comes out of unspecific language. You can only imagine how these stakes are even higher when we solidify certain terms over others into our technological systems, when we automate a purchase online and as we educate the next generation of roofers.  

Part of being a skilled industry is honing in on what certain tools, materials and terms mean so that we can better understand what a job requires within our own company and across the industry. Learning the vocabulary of roofing and standardizing terms within the trade is a huge part of being an expert in the field, communicating with others about a job as accurately as possible and increasing the professionalism in our industry. 

Use the NRCA’s technical glossary to get on the same page as the industry and to deepen your roofing specialization! 

Learn more about NRCA in their RoofersCoffeeShop® Directory or visit www.nrca.net. 

About Cass  

Cass works as a reporter/writer for RoofersCoffeeShop, MetalCoffeeShop AskARoofer and MetalCoffeeShop. When she isn’t writing about roofs, she is putting her Master degree to work writing about movies and dancing with her plants.