Let's talk about banks, baby!

I promised to tell you why I ended up having a jaunt to London the other day. It was for a very important cause as my friend has written a book! So I thought it would be most sensible if I joined up with her to help celebrate.

The launch party was held in the private room at Zizzi's restaurant at St Katherine's Dock. Accompanied by loads of wine and scrummy Italian snacks, it was good fun catching up with old friends. I had meant to surprise Julia, the author, and it worked!

Julia Streets has spent over 20 years working in the City and now runs her own public relations, marketing and business development company. In her own words, "'The Lingua Franca of the Corporate Banker’ is designed to offer a seriously light-hearted view on corporate language, how it is regularly abused, used to confuse and why I would choose to ban it."

The bulk of the book is taken up by a glossary of words used in the corporate banking world with light-hearted explanations attached, for example:

• "Fruition - To bear fruit. Pronouned frooo-ition - not fuitshun (one who avoids their five a day)"; 
• "Hats, wearing many - Having many different roles and responsibilities. Like a dressing-up box."; 
• and rather ruthlessly, "Family, spending time with - Fired. Often used in employee communications after someone has left the organisation. See also pursue other interests, downsizing, rightsizing and redundancy." You get the drift.

I think the 'Lingua Franca' would make a brilliant Christmas present for anybody who works or has worked in the City. You can get it on Amazon here, and it's available at Barnes and Noble as well.

Now, I just need to figure out how to encourage more of my friends to write books in order to give me a good excuse for having a weekend away on my own! ;-)