Well, my peeps, you gotta give me my props. Proving once again that the blogosphere is, in general, ahead of the curve when it comes to trends, it turns out that yours truly spotted something back in August that has just been pointed out by no less an authority than one of them there high falutin’ colleges. In its annual list of overused or just plain dumb words and phrases that should be excised from our dialogue, Michigan’s Lake Superior University cited the ineffective cross-pollination term “Webinar” as among that those that should be put to rest. Here’s what I had to say about that very word back on August 17th:
…“Webinars,” the newest thing in teleconferencing. There’s something not quite right about this new hybrid term, as if “web” and “seminar” had a one-night stand and decided not to pursue anything the next morning. One can see the intention behind the term, but perhaps this one would have been better left in separate beds.”
“Surge,” “back in the day,” and “sweet,” (that ubiquitous term for “good” used by the young folks) are among some of the other tired terminologies that the university thinks should retire themselves. Well, we in the business world know dozens of turns of phrase that may as well hang it up, and here are a few that should be facing extinction:
BEEN-THERE-DONE-THAT. Yes, we have.
THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX. Say it one more time and you will end up in a box made of pine, my friend.
WIN-WIN SITUATION. Currently only used by people who have run out of anything original to say. Or, as we call them, Loser-Losers.
ON THE SAME PAGE. Never mind that it’s a cliché. From now on it should only be used to describe unsavory situations involving Congressmen.
GOAL-ORIENTED. Sure, I guess it’s better than being stupid-oriented.
CORE COMPETENCIES. “Things you’re good at.” Okay? Can we just go back to plain English here?
ANALYSIS PARALYSIS. When I think about how badly I would like to get rid of this term, I freeze up and cannot come to any useful conclusions.
MISSION CRITICAL. Oh, please, what isn’t? Getting the bathroom key is mission critical.
PLAYING HARDBALL. Oooh, look out, they’re playing hardball…they’re so big and scary…and this only reminds me of another phrase that should bite the dust: “Bring It On!”
DOG AND PONY SHOW. Way to devalue that Power Point presentation you worked all week on to generate new business, ya moron. Like the client needs any more reasons to think we’re bush league.
That’s a small sampling. I’m sure all of you out there can think of a few more terms that deserve the axe. Have at it!
Related Stories: | Topics:Work/Life, Lake Superior University, Microsoft PowerPoint |
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Recent Comments | 8 Total
January 4, 2008 at 3:33pm by Alex Flores
I absolutely despise, and have since 2000, the phrase "moving forward". What the heck ever happened to "from now on" or "from this point forward"?
The phrase "moving forward" has had its meaning widened to not only express a change that will continue into the future, but people also use it as a segue to keep meetings going... "moving forward through the agenda you'll see...".
I hate it and immediately think less of people who use the phrase. :)
January 6, 2008 at 2:01am by Dr Thom
I'll never forget the time an interviewer told me that I would need to be able to 'think outside the box' and my response was 'I don't even know where the fucking box is--people talk about the box but I have never even seen it...' suprisingly I was hired and offered 15% more than I asked for...and the manager laughed about that and told everyone else about it for years...
January 7, 2008 at 4:36am by Ernie Zelinski
In "Business Buzz Words We Can Safely Get Rid Of" I would like to add "must be a team player" that often appears in job ads. I find this term repulsive.
I have to admit that I am organizationally averse. Even so, when I worked in corportations, I found that this term usually implied that you must be a robot, with no creativity, with no boldness and courage to stand up and tell the truth about things.
Ernie Zelinski
Author of:
The Joy of Not Working
and
How to Retire Happy, Wild, and Free
January 8, 2008 at 9:19am by Becki
Great list. Some others: "circle back","fleshed out", and "run it up the flag pole".
January 9, 2008 at 10:37am by Mistinguette
May I never hear the word ITERATIVE again in any context unrelated to computer programming.
I might lose control of myself the next time a meeting facilitator use the phrase "iterative process", especially if the speaker is so sure s/he has impressed you that s/he goes on to explain this redundant space-filler.
I miss the good old days, when people just worked together to solve problems by talking about ideas and thinking them through.
January 9, 2008 at 10:40am by Charlene Andersen
Thanks for supporting "Thinking Outside the Box" is done! How about adding "Raise the Bar" to the list.
January 9, 2008 at 10:45am by Tom Burke
These all make my eyes glaze over too...shows that the writer or speaker is just plain lazy.
"At the end of the day"
"World-class"
"End-to-end solution"
"Comprehensive"
"Best practices"
"At this point in time"
"Quite frankly" - indicates falsehood ahead
January 9, 2008 at 4:43pm by Beverly Nelson
I hope some of my associates will take a look at the list. My all time hated phrase usually heard after responding to a question is "Very Good." It is like a free pat on the head for thinking or else someone out there thinks they are talking to a pet animal.