Every year at this time, as a public service, we bring out our list of the worst business clichés, those fetid phrases that dull our otherwise-brilliant conversations and writing.
We’ve added some new ones from 2016, a year when—for some reason—starting every sentence with the word “So” became a thing.
Here we present The Annual RDC List of Worst Business Clichés for 2017 (and their clearer substitutes):
- It is what it is (the facts are)
- Circle back (discuss again)
- Touch base (contact)
- Close the loop (tell everyone involved)
- At the end of the day (ultimately)
- The perfect storm of (bad combination)
- Brainchild (invention, idea)
- Brain dump (briefing)
- Pick your brain (get your advice)
- Brainstorm (discuss)
- No brainer (easy)
- Slam dunk (see “No brainer”)
- Get my head around (understand)
- Granular (more detailed)
- Take it offline (talk after the meeting)
- The elephant in the room (unavoidable issue)
- Win-Win (mutually beneficial)
- On the same page (agree)
- Task force (working group)
- Drink the Kool-Aid (this refers to a 1978 mass suicide; let’s retire this one)
- Leading or cutting edge (innovative)
- Mission critical (essential)
- Crunch time (near deadline)
- On their radar screen (we have their attention)
- Paradigm Shift (a change)
