How are your KPI’s and ROI’s looking? Personally, I’m more interested in a BLT. ASAP! A recent survey revealed the top 5 most hated examples of corporate speak.
1. moving forward 2. on the same page 3. touching base 4. outside the box 5. reaching out
I’m so happy to hear this! People are getting fed up with these kind of phrases. Top bosses use them and they filter down into ordinary conversation. It’s a disease if you ask me. I have used number 2 and number 4 a little bit and they are probably the least worst.
To be fair, it is hard to get the right balance in our communication. We want to be novel but not too novel that we can’t be understood. A lot of these ‘hated’ phrases at least allow a clear message or sometimes even a safe message for sensitive topics. The old classic; ‘it is what it is’, helps us convey that there is no choice and we have to accept a difficult situation and also that we may not want to talk too much about it.
My pet hate is job advertisements. They say the worst things in the nicest possible way:
Cliché 8: We need a person with the ability to multitask. Translation: You will be doing three people’s jobs… but we’ll just pay you for the one.
Cliché 17: The job is suited to a fast learner. Translation: We don’t have the budget to train new staff.
Cliché 28: The right candidate will be professional. Translation: Get the job done quietly, without causing trouble, whilst wearing a suit.
Cliché 36: We are a fast-growing company. Translation: There are currently just two of us. How about in your language? Does ‘corporate speak’ infiltrate conversation and if so, how do people feel about it? What phrases do you think sound cliched? Do you have any pet hates when it comes to languages and communication?
日時 8月27日(日） 午後2時～4時20分
ACEはいったい何位
