It's a confession we should all make to the gods of overused office lingo: Forgive me, for I have sinned. I used no fewer than seven clichés in my last business
interaction.
No matter how often we roll our eyes at the banality of these utterances, it's inevitable that we'll turn around and use one in a press release or during telephone
conversation, blush a little, and then, for the most guilty over-indulgers, use yet another. We're so conditioned to using hackneyed terms that Fortune's Anne Fisher
dedicated her Aug. 10 column to "Business Buzzwords That Make You Gag," even anointing the first-ever "Most Annoying Lingo Awards" (a.k.a. the Mallies). Readers sent in their
nominations, and Fisher compiled a list based on the number of votes each received (see sample below).
So here they are, your friends and ours, 10 of the comfortable catch phrases that fit like your favorite pair of jeans five years ago but have since become outdated and snug.
You've lived them, you've loved them, and now it's time to say goodbye. As the old saying goes, "If you love it, set it free."
- Bottom line
- No-brainer
- At the end of the day
- Touch base
- Win-win
- Radar screen
- Keep me posted
- I'll keep you posted
- On the same page
- Value Preposition
- Hit the ground running
Source: Fortune, August 2005 If you're guilty of using one or more of these phrases -- or any other over-used terms -- please send an e-mail to PR News
Editor Matthew Schwartz at [email protected]. Please include your name, contact information and the offending cliché.