I recently came across a blog post titled “12 Most Offensive Phrases You Could Use In Your Business” authored by a gentleman named Marc Ensign that had me questioning the way I communicate.
I’m not sure what prompted Marc to write this post, but I was hooked after glancing at the opening line “Listening to most business people talk makes me cringe.” In his post, Marc contends that most people who fall into this category “purposely sprinkle their language with fancy schmancy catch phrases and five dollar words…”
Could I be one of those people? Are you?
After reading Marc’s article, I was inspired to continue his mission. Here are a few more thrown about the business world on a daily basis.
- “I truly appreciate what a collaborative effort this has been…” which translates to “I fully intend to immediately dismiss your ideas as soon as this conversation is over.”
- “It is what it is…” more often than not means that someone on your team didn’t think of this possibility, and now everyone is scrambling to cover their tracks, including you.
- “This is a real game changer…” really means you are overpromising something to your client or business partners, and when things go awry, you’ll resort to #2 above.
What are some of your favorite overused and/or offensive phrases overheard in business situations? Give us “your two cents.”
bobofftherecord 