1851

The next time you feel the need to reach out, shift a paradigm, leverage a best practice or take a 360 approach, by all means, do it. Just don&#8217;t say you&#8217;re going to do it&#8212;because those words are nothing but meaningless business jargon. The problem is, we&#8217;re all guilty of using them. It&#8217;s annoying gobbledygook, and somehow these empty phrases have mesmerized the rank and file around the globe. At <a href="http://1851franchise.com/" target="_blank">1851 Franchise</a>, we&#8217;ve heard (and used) our fair share of buzzwords. So in a concerted effort to admit our faults and learn from our mistakes, here are some of our office&#8217;s worst offenders. Let&#8217;s Take This Offline In a world where we&#8217;re always communicating through our iPhones, tablets and computers, where does this magical place even exist? Are we talking penning your next big business request with ink and paper and sending it out to your colleague via snail mail or a carrier pigeon? Because, let&#8217;s be honest, that&#8217;s truly taking things offline. But that&#8217;s probably not it. Chances are it means this: &#8220;Let&#8217;s discuss this at a later time.&#8221; Or, in other words: &#8220;Let&#8217;s not air our dirty laundry in front of a group.&#8221; Next time, be clear about your intended action. Instead, simply ask to continue the discussion during a break, or over lunch. I Don&#8217;t Have the Bandwidth It started out strictly as a tech word, but it&#8217;s now replaced &#8220;capacity&#8221; in just about every scenario. If an employee doesn&#8217;t have time for something, they might say: &#8220;I don&#8217;t have the bandwidth right now.&#8221; It&#8217;s even crept into the HR lexicon: &#8220;Does he have the bandwidth to do this job?&#8221; We&#8217;re not living in The Matrix quite yet&#8212;so maybe we can describe our lives in human terms for just a bit longer? He/She is a Total Rock Star! This probably means that you kicked ass and saved the day at your job. It could also mean that you&#8217;re a creative and inspiring employee. But let&#8217;s be honest, if that employee was truly a Rock Star, they&#8217;d be showing up late to the office, drinking excessively, and flipping the middle finger. We might be going out on a limb here, but that doesn&#8217;t sound like the kind of behavior that&#8217;s conducive to a high-performing professional office, right? Instead of using euphemisms for success, try highlighting the specific strengths of each employee. Chances are, they&#8217;ll feel seen and appreciated. Let&#8217;s Hit the Ground Running This just sounds bad for your knees, and that type of team-wide injury can really impact workflow and dramatically increase your company&#8217;s healthcare premiums (has the Internet created a sarcasm font yet?). The point here is that you&#8217;re trying to instill a sense of urgency. But maybe try personalizing the conversation by discussing the list of activities that will prepare each team-member to be successful right from the start. Bleeding Edge You&#8217;ve developed technology so new and cool that it makes you want to evoke sword-smithery, huh? Really, what they&#8217;re trying to say is that a company has created something that it&#8217;s leading the leading-edge. It&#8217;s the hipster before the hipster became cool. It&#8217;s an idea so new and revolutionary, that you&#8217;ve probably never even heard of it before. Instead of describing your new idea or product with a phrase that sounds like a bad horror movie title, why not just tell it like it is? Let everyone else make that determination for themselves. Authentic If you have to tell people that your brand is authentic, chances are it isn&#8217;t. Why? Because it&#8217;s a word that&#8217;s being overused, and it&#8217;s being used incorrectly. When it became common knowledge that Millennials loved to buy from companies who are authentic, marketers hurried to throw that word&#8212;and other thesaurus favorites&#8212;into their literature and advertising. Bam. Authenticity taken care of, right? The problem is, you can&#8217;t tell someone that you&#8217;re authentic any more than you can tell someone you&#8217;re trustworthy. You have to prove your authenticity. And you have earn your title. From there, who you are will speak for itself. Let&#8217;s Get the Ball Rolling This one has been around forever&#8212;and it just won&#8217;t go away. When in your life have you ever done anything of consequence that was even remotely related to rolling a ball? Let&#8217;s all do each other a favor and start being more direct. Try saying this instead: &#8220;Let&#8217;s do this.&#8221;

1851 Franchise

These words are cringe-worthy—and we're all guilty of using them. Here are some of the worst offenders that you should probably cut from your vocab immediately.

This brand page has been paid for by 1851. Content within this page that is paid will showcase a Sponsored icon. This means the brand has engaged 1851 FRANCHISE to write the content. Content without the Sponsored Icon is aggregated media placements the brand earned. Questions can be sent to editorial@1851franchise.com

7 Worst Business Buzzwords of 2015   

7-worst-business-buzzwords-of-2015

Paris Baguette

Photo of array of Paris Baguette pastries

Paris Baguette Redefines Morning Routines With Fresh Breakfast and Premium Coffee Strategy

paris-baguette-breakfast-strategy-growth

TruBlue Home Service Ally

TruBlue’s Home Maintenance Plans: Peace of Mind for Homeowners

trublues-home-maintenance-plans-peace-of-mind-for-homeowners

Caring Transitions

Caring Transitions Targets Peoria, Illinois, for Franchise Growth

caring-transitions-targets-peoria-illinois-for-franchise-growth

Caring Transitions Celebrates a Strong Start to 2025 With 19 New Franchise Sales and Momentum-Building Training Events

caring-transitions-celebrates-a-strong-start-to-2025-with-19-new-franchise-sales-and-momentum-building-training-events

Right at Home

Right at Home 30th Anniversary in Home Care with Right at Home Logo

Celebrating 30 Years of Excellence and Future Innovations in Home Care

celebrating-30-years-of-excellence-and-future-innovations-in-home-care

Buying a Franchise Masterclass

 Franchise Opportunities

Get Support Buying a Franchise

How to Buy a Franchise White Paper

How to Buy a Franchise

How to Sell Franchises

How to Grow a Franchise

Find a Franchise Supplier

1851 Franchise Opportunities

Franchisor News

Franchisor Power Rankings

FranCamp Mastermind Summit

Franchise Resources

What ALEC-Laffer's Report Means for Franchising

Website Awards

Power Rankings

About 1851

Advertise on 1851

Contact 1851 Editorial

Terms of Use

1851 Login

GROWTH CLUB LOGIN

facebook

instagram

twitter

linkedin

youtube

DoorDash Expansion Could Reshape Delivery and Operations for Franchise Brands - 1851 Franchise

DoorDash Expansion Could Reshape Delivery and Operations for Franchise Brands

doordash-acquistions-deliveroo-sevenrooms

Crumbl Franchise Investment - TSG Consumer Partners -  1851 Franchise

TSG Consumer Partners Takes Minority Stake in Crumbl, Signaling Franchise Growth Potential

crumbl-franchise-investment-tsg-consumer

Yum Brands Reports Strong Q1 Results with Big Boost from Taco Bell

yum-brands-reports-strong-q1-results-with-big-boost-from-taco-bell

QSR: McDonald’s Gains Momentum With Chicken Innovation, Value Deals and Franchisee Support

mcdonalds-franchise-recovery-chicken-strategy-value-deals-2025

The Future of Franchising: Trends and Predictions for 2025 and Beyond

the-future-of-franchising-trends-and-predictions-for-2025-and-beyond

The Ultimate Guide to Selling Franchises: Building Your Brand’s Growth Machine

ultimate-guide-to-selling-franchises

franchise supplier award design with Locate AI logo and 1851 Franchise badge

Franchise Real Estate Services | Locate AI — Emerging Leaders in Franchise Support

locate-ai-emerging-leaders-in-franchise-support

The Ultimate Guide to Selling Franchises: How to Position Your Value Proposition

The Ultimate Guide to Selling Franchises: How to Position Your Value Proposition — Point of Differentiation

how-to-position-your-value-proposition-with-a-point-of-differentiation

The Ultimate Guide to Selling Franchises: How to Clarify Your Positioning – The “Why You/Why Now”

the-ultimate-guide-to-selling-franchises-how-to-clarify-your-positioning-the-why-youwhy-now

Franchisee spotlight image with Randy and Sandy Craft, Children's Lighthouse logo on blue background

The Crafts’ Successful Journey from New Parents to Children’s Lighthouse Franchisees

the-crafts-successful-journey-from-new-parents-to-childrens-lighthouse-franchisees

Franchisee spotlight graphic with photo of Amy Lepke and family and Papa Murphy's logo

After 14 Years as a Stay-At-Home Mom, Amy Lepke Returned to Papa Murphy’s — This Time as an Owner

papa-murphys-franchise-amy-lepke

Franchisee Spotlight with Micki Waters and Papa Murphy's Logo

Work Mom: How Micki Waters Became a Mother Figure to Her Entire Papa Murphy’s Team

work-mom-how-micki-waters-became-a-mother-figure-to-her-entire-papa-murphys-team

District Taco Franchise Costs, Fees, Profit and Data for 2025

franchise-deep-dive-district-tacos-franchise-costs-fees-profit-and-data

Layoffs Surge to Pandemic-Era Highs, Opening Doors for Franchise Growth

layoffs-surge-to-pandemic-era-highs-opening-doors-for-franchise-growth

Franchisee spotlight image with photo of Robert Trujillo and UWRG logo on blue background

How Robert Trujillo Expanded His Construction Business With UWRG

how-robert-trujillo-expanded-his-construction-business-with-uwrg

7 Worst Business Buzzwords of 2015

MORE STORIES LIKE THIS