3.05.2007

Business Speak Words/Phrases I HATE (in honor of this week's assignment)

"Some businesspeople use 50-cent words to make a 5-cent point because they think plain language makes them look less intelligent. That's why we say things like 'initiate project action plan' instead of 'let's get started,'?" - Jon Warshawsky, co-author of Why Business People Speak Like Idiots.

Moving Forward

Push Back
First Final (if it's not a FINAL FINAL...)
Final Final
Input (only when used in place of criticism)
Paradigm (when tossed in to a sentence needlessly)
Bench Marking
Best Practice
Synergy
Directive
Restructuring (that meant layoffs of over 3000 people last quarter)
Disconnect
Download (as in "Give me the download from your meeting" which actually means, 'Tell me what you talked about in the meeting')
Leverage (instead of USE)
Metric
Action Item
Value-Added
Had to come back and add one I just overheard - Blackanddeckerized.
Oy!


2 comments:

Tess said...

Jill, I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude for your having facilitated a maximally optimal post-work, pre-prandial relaxation process involving much laughter.

Jared said...

I don't know what half those words mean Tess, but this is a great post, Jill.

My favorite word? Antidisestablishmentarianism.

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