Discursive density refers to the concentration of specialized terminology, conceptual frameworks, and implicit organizational assumptions within a body of text, often resulting in reduced accessibility and interpretability across institutional or disciplinary boundaries. My first encounter with discursive density was an orientation to Locally Led Development hosted by our subject matter expert. While I thought I was keeping up, at the end I realized that I had missed much of the depth of the conversation. Each word or phrase she used, which to me meant nothing more than its surface form, was packed with institutional jargon that reflected and reinforced USAID's worldview developed over decades. I hadn't heard 80% of what she said because each word was an iceberg--more meaning was below the surface than above.