Irritating Business Buzzwords
By Rob Wright, Chief Editor, Life Science Leader
Follow Me On Twitter @RfwrightLSL
By Rob Wright
I was reading an e-book recently and it got me to thinking about the variety of buzzwords and phrases which business executives consistently adopt and incorporate into their vocabulary. One of my least favorites is “Offline.” I once knew an executive who liked to use this during his business presentations, saying “Let’s talk about that offline.” He claimed he used it as a means of staying on task, when in reality he just did not want to deal with the issue at hand.
It never ceases to amaze me how supposedly intelligent people are so quick to jump on the latest bandwagon of buzzwords and business trends. Perhaps it is because I am somewhat of a late adopter when it comes to new technology. This philosophy probably carries over to my choice of words, because I cringe at the thought of referring to my allocation of my time or time management as “bandwidth.” Here are the other buzzwords I find to be rather irritating and would welcome your comments. You can email them to rob.wright@lifescienceconnect.com. Perhaps I will put together a survey and have a vote. Stay tuned.
- Offline – This is often used in face-to-face meetings which are already occurring “offline.” Try using “parking lot” or even better, “want to step outside?”
- Best-of-Breed – Why would any company want to compare itself to an animal? Try using, visionary, best-in-class, or top shelf.
- Transparency – Really, who is truly transparent? Not even the folks on the afternoon talk shows are really airing all of their dirty laundry. How about using “open communication.”
- Bandwidth – “Time management” is much more elegant and clear.
- Stickiness – This just sounds wrong and is used to describe content that compels users to return. If it compels users to return, then it is good, perhaps great, perhaps even, I don’t know, HIGH QUALITY.
- Repurpose – Basically we are saying re-use, recycle.
- Synergy – This is a combination of synthesis and energy but often used to describe a successful partnership. Did George Bush make this up shortly after uttering “Strategery?” Try “collaboration” or “cooperation.”
- Outside the Box – Anyone using this statement is really just setting you up for shooting down your ideas. Brainstorming is a more effective and “sticky” term.
- Value-add – This reminds me of “extra-strength”. How much is extra, no one knows, but it is more. If you are producing value beyond what a customer expects, then you have achieved delight.
- Big Hairy Audacious Goal (BHAG) – I know a book made this popular. I recall the book being very good. Yet, big and hairy is not very conducive to me in a business meeting setting and would make me want to talk “offline.” Just call it a “stretch goal” and be done with it.