Today’s post relies on Marc Ensign for his wonderful August 28, 2013 piece entitled “The 12 most cringe-worthy business phrases.”
We all love to hate annoying biz speak and to say snarky things about people who use it. (Frankly, my least fave is still “at the end of the day,” but there are some real goodies on this list.)
- Out of the box
- I’m a guru.
- My two cents
- Let me give you my card.
- Literally
- It’s not rocket science.
- We have synergy.
- Social media ROI
- State of the art
- New media
- Cyberspace
- To be honest with you
Mr. Ensign provides good reasons for the cringe worthiness of each of these phrases. Reason #8—Social media ROI—is the one I like best. And that is: “Stop talking about ROI when it comes to social media. Social media is meant for building relationships. If it turns into business, great. If it doesn’t, great. It shouldn’t be your sole purpose. Ask your spouse what the ROI is of your marriage, and let me know how it goes.”
You’ve probably used some of these yourselves. I certainly have, but there’s no need to be embarrassed. Marc exonerates all of us at the end when he comments, “Don’t worry if you failed. We’re all guilty of blurting out one or two of these phrases at some point or another. Besides, who’s to say I’m even right? It’s just my two cents.”
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