Am I the only person that feels like someone is scraping a chalkboard with their nails when they hear moronic buzzwords? Why tell me why, do so many people let this go on?!
Perhaps a game can be made of it? Like Buzzword Bingo below? However, the Buzzword vocabulary grows so fast, new editions would be needed immediately. And you thought it was hard to keep up with Cards Against Humanity!!! Don’t forget: “Level Set”, “Refactor”, and “10,000 Foot View” – more nonsense for those with a limited vocabulary.
Harvard writer Bryan A. Garner references a list of blacklisted words companies and individuals should remove from their vocabulary and I must say I agree. Here’s the list and, if you can’t stop using them, remove yourself from the gene pool:
Bizspeak Blacklist
actionable (apart from legal action)
agreeance
as per
at the end of the day
back of the envelope
bandwidth (outside electronics)
bring our A-game
client-centered
come-to-Jesus
core competency
CYA
drill down
ducks in a row
forward initiative
going forward
go rogue
guesstimate
harvesting efficiencies
hit the ground running
impact, vb.
incent
incentivize
impactful
kick the can down the road
let’s do lunch
let’s take this offline
level the playing field
leverage, vb.
liaise
mission-critical
monetize
net-net
on the same page
operationalize
optimize
out of pocket (except in reference to expenses)
paradigm shift
parameters
per
planful
push the envelope
pursuant to
putting lipstick on a pig
recontextualize
repurpose
rightsized
sacred cow
scalable
seamless integration
seismic shift (outside earthquake references)
smartsized
strategic alliance
strategic dynamism
synergize
synergy
think outside the box
throw it against the wall and see if it sticks
throw under the bus
turnkey
under the radar
utilization, utilize
value-added
verbiage (the correct term is verbiage — in reference only to verbose phrasings)
where the rubber meets the road
win-win
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