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Hated Corporate Buzzwords

January 22, 2020 By Susan Monroe Leave a Comment

Hated Corporate Buzzwords

Every now and then, I get a bit lazy and recycle older posts. I hope you enjoy this trip down memory lane.

In December, Toni Bowers of TechRepublic re-published this CareerBuilder list of the expressions you love to hate . Her comment? “I cannot believe anyone with half a brain and/or an ounce of self-respect would continue to use these terms.”

Ah, c’mon, Toni. Haven’t we all caught ourselves using a cringe-worth expression? I know I do. And without a touch of irony.

Drumroll, please. Here’s the list.

  • Outside the box (31%)
  • Low-hanging fruit (24%)
  • Synergy (23%)
  • Loop me in (22%)
  • Best of breed (19%)
  • Incentivize (19%)
  • Mission-critical (19 %)
  • Bring to the table (18%)
  • Value-add (17%)
  • Elevator pitch (16%)
  • Actionable items (15%)
  • Proactive (15%)
  • Circle back (13%)
  • Bandwidth (13%)
  • High level (10%)
  • Learnings (9%)
  • Next steps (6%)

Argh. I think my positively least favorite is “learnings,” or “key learnings.” Since when, folks, has “learning” needed to acquire an “s” on the end? (“Circle back” is a close second, followed by “language” used as a verb.)

Let’s have an inpromptu “detest fest.” Tell me your favorite un-favorites, and I’ll share them with the world.

Studiostoks – 123rf.com

About the Author

Susan Monroe's avatar

Susan creates crisp, engaging copy for a range of verticals. Her clients include Brocade, Cisco, HP, and Informatica—as well as small and midsize businesses. Contact her If you need great content creation and strategy,

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