150 Business Jargon Fixes
150 Business Jargon Fixes
150 Business Jargon Fixes
Introduction
When business writers resort to business jargon, its because they lack the time, creative
energy or subject mastery to find a more exact word or phrase. Unfortunately, B2B and
B2C writers face these obstacles day in and day out. Its difficult to come up with a suitable
alternative to solutions when assignments are coming in by the hour. And in the agency
world especially, writers are often forced to write about businesses and industries with which
they have very limited experience or knowledge.
This guide is meant to serve as a quick fix for business writers looking for powerful
alternatives to the tired phrases that drain all the life out of their content. The information
herein was originally published as a series on the Jeff Bullas blog.
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150 BUSINESS JARGON PHRASES, WITH BETTER OPTIONS
1. 8
00-pound gorilla.
#-A Convey the idea with more style by saying a force to be reckoned with.
2. A
ctionable.
An actionable item is one you can take action on. Whether the action is desirable is another
story. For that reason, an item may be more clearly described as practical, useful, realistic or
workable.
3. Action item.
Whats the difference between an action and an action item? Other than word count none.
4. A
ha moment.
A trendy way of saying you just discovered
something important. Suitable substitutes
include revelation and insight.
5. A
round.
Dont have a discussion around an issue; have a discussion about an issue.
6. ASAP.
This means youre in panic mode; you need it so fast you dont even know when you need it!!
Spare us the theatrics and just provide a due date.
8. Awesome.
If youre describing the Grand Canyon or the dimensions of the universe, awesome is fine.
Otherwise, find a less sensational (i.e., more realistic) adjective, such as outstanding or
exceptional.
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9. Baked in.
B Instead of saying that a given possibility or fact is baked into something, say it is accounted for.
11. B
andwidth.
This is a euphemism to make we dont have time sound like its part of the plan. If you simply
say you dont have the time or resources, people will respect your frankness.
12. B
ells and whistles.
These are fancy features added to a product or service to entice prospects. Since bells and
whistles suggests unnecessary features, avoid the phrase when talking about your own products.
14. B
est regards.
How lucky am I to receive your best regards rather than only your regular regards! Dont be
pretentious; stick with regards.
15. Big bang for the buck. A sleazy fast-talkers way of saying this or that product or service has
exceptionally high value.
16. Bleeding edge. With so many companies on the bleeding edge, its no wonder the economy
is hemorrhaging. Overstatements such as this inspire skepticism. Instead, talk about your
groundbreaking business model or new approach.
17. Boil the ocean. To boil the ocean is to waste time. Since not everybody knows this, dont
force readers to boil the ocean trying to figure it out.
18. Brain dump. Brain dump is an overly casual way of saying well teach you. (At the pretentious
extreme, we engage in knowledge transfer.)
19. Brain surgery. This isnt brain surgery has been so overused it carries comical overtones the
author may not intend. Better to operate with a straightforward word like complicated.
20. Brick and mortar. Physical locations are best described as such.
21. Bring
to the table. This is an overused way of saying a person contributes this or that specific
thing to a project or work group.
22. B
usiness case.
Redundant. If youre talking business, you should simply say case.
23. B
uy-in.
Try support or agreement instead.
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24. C
hampion (as a verb).
25. C
hange agent.
A change agent is either a person who works at a toll both or a consultant with a mighty high
opinion of himself. Personally, Id prefer to develop and implement new ideas with the former
rather than the latter.
26. C
heck the box.
Replace with complete the task.
27. C
ircle back
A roundabout way of saying discuss later that belongs in the circular file.
28. C
ircular file.
Wastebasket.
29. C
ompelling.
Overused! A 90 percent discount is compelling, but a 5 percent discount is merely interesting.
Dont describe something as compelling unless it is.
31. C
ontent is king.
A massively overused metaphor that broadcasts your ignorance. King metaphors work for a
clear, measurable hierarchy; e.g., The blueberry is the king of antioxidants. Content is one
element of a complex marketing system in which all components have unique and essential value.
32. C
ontrarian.
A contrarian is someone who thinks and acts contrary to public opinion. Be careful how
you use this, because contrarianism can be seen as a big negative. Its also worth noting that
self-described contrarians sometimes turn out merely to be raving lunatics.
35. C
ross-training.
A sales trainee spending an hour watching an accounts receivable clerk file invoices is not
cross-training. Use this phrase only if you have a serious, comprehensive and documented
training program.
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37. D
eck.
D Some people know that a deck is a slide presentation. Everybody else will think youre not
playing with a full one.
38. D
eep dive.
Overuse has sunk this way of describing a thorough analysis. Try explore, analyze, or the
soon-to-be-overused unpack.
39. D
eliverable.
Agency-speak for work product or output. Because deliverable is necessarily vague, avoid it
as much as possible, and instead describe the things your client will receive from you.
41. D
isambiguate.
The word youre looking for is clarify.
43. D
isruptive.
If a product or business model is truly disruptive, you dont need to describe it as such; it will
speak for itself.
47. D
ucks in a row.
A silly way of saying were
ready or organized.
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48. Ecosystem.
E Ecosystem can describe Microsoft Windows or Apple, where users have deep and broad
interaction with products and services in a closed system. For the most part, however,
ecosystem is an overreach. In most business situations, ecosystems are merely systems or
networks or product groups.
49. Empower.
Better options are assign responsibility or delegate responsibility. Besides being overused,
empower has a bad business vibe, as it suggests class warfare.
50. E
pic (as an adjective).
Epic describes something of heroic, sweeping proportions. Applying the word to business
content or situations is an epic overstatement that serious-minded people wont take
seriously. A simple adjective like useful or memorable carries more weight.
51. E
vangelist.
A generous, one-sentence Yelp review does not an evangelist make. Evangelism takes fiery
passion and sustained, unsolicited effort. Too often businesses describe as evangelists those
who are loyal customers or casual fans of the brand.
52. E
volve.
More precisely stated, a business plan or relationship develops, strengthens or grows in
complexity or size.
53. E
xecute. Fancy words wont get you fancy fees. Instead of saying well execute the task, just
say well do it.
F Scale back this reel bad jargon and say make a decision.
55. F
rictionless.
Overstatement. Friction has to do with change,
and what type of business change has ever
occurred without friction? If you say something
can take place with minimal friction, youll be
much more accurate and believable.
56. Functionality.
Instead of multi-user functionality, try supports multiple users. The latter phrasing is easier to
read and contains an action verb rather than a bland, corporate compound noun.
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57. G
ame changer.
G Whereas paradigm shift is too formal, game changer is too casual. Instead of either
of these, meet in the middle with significant change or fundamental change.
62. G
ranular.
Instead of taking a granular look, look at the details.
64. Guesstimate.
Replace with rough estimate and reduce the odds of being taken for an idiot.
65. Guru.
If others describe you as a guru, people will be skeptical. If you describe yourself as a guru,
people will laugh in your face.
H This phase describes the attempt to manage a group of difficult and/or disagreeable
individuals. Because herding cats is insulting to the individuals in question, the phrase should
be used with care especially if your cats are customers.
67. H
olistic.
Comprehensive or complete is more straightforward.
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69. Ideation.
I To ideate is to form ideas or concepts. The word is frequently used in a clinical (and rather
ominous) context, such as suicidal ideation. In business, stick with phrases such as develop a
strategy or brainstorming session.
71. Incentivize.
A mouthful of mush that means motivate.
73. Innovative.
Describing a product or service as innovative means nothing. You have to explain in what
way the product is innovative. Since most things described as innovative arent, this can be a
daunting task.
75. K
ey takeaways.
A puffed up way of describing important points.
76. K
iller app.
More overstatement. Most killer apps are dead within months of their introduction.
77. K
nowledge transfer.
Well teach you beats Well engage in knowledge transfer by six syllables and a country mile.
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78. L
aser focus. I guess when regular focus isnt enough, companies must bring out the big guns
L and employ laser focus. Cmon: drop the pretentious laser and just focus.
79. L
eaders. Everybody is a leader in this or a leader in that so what? Heres a case where
frankness and modesty paradoxically arouse interest. If you claim only that youre good at
this or that, people may actually take notice.
80. Learnings. Ironically, this is not even a real word. Teachings or lessons, on the other hand, are.
81. Level playing field. Stop going over the same metaphorical ground and replace this phrase
with fair competition.
82. Leverage (as a verb). Instead of, we leverage our volume to offer low prices, try, our volume
enables us to offer low prices.
85. Luddite.
A Luddite is someone who opposes technological innovation. It is not someone who rejects
your new, untested, unproven and unendorsed gizmo.
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86. Magic bullet.
M High caliber business writers replace this overused phrase with cure-all or panacea.
87. M
ake hay while the sun shines.
Maybe this is what a farmer does after putting lipstick on his pig. If youre not a farmer,
replace this phrase with make the most of the opportunity.
88. Maximize.
To sound like a real person, say that your product or service improves results rather than
maximizes results.
89. M
ethodology.
Scholars, scientists and extremely
complex businesses have methodologies.
90. Mission-critical.
Whats the difference between critical and mission-critical? Unless you want to sound like an
astronaut, stick with critical.
92. M
ove the needle.
This means to get meaningful or measurable results. Why not, then, say one or the other?
93. M
y bad.
If you made a mistake, dont trivialize it by saying it was my bad this only makes people
think youre indifferent as well as incompetent. On the other hand, by saying I made a
mistake, youll earn respect.
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94. Next steps.
N-O This harmless-looking phrase escalates word count. Instead of, as a next step we will
just say, next, we will.
95. Ninja.
See guru.
96. Offline.
Replace discuss offline with discuss privately.
100. Optimize.
This term is overused; whenever possible, replace with improve.
101. O
ut of pocket.
A tailors inventory may be out of pocket. Youre just busy.
102. O
utside the box.
Ironically, using this tired phrase alerts people that you have no creativity
whatsoever. Instead, talk about creative or imaginative thinking.
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103. Pain point.
106. Preplan.
When people say preplan, they usually mean early-stage planning. Preplanning is something
(Im not really sure what) that people do before they start planning.
107. Preschedule.
See preplan.
108. Preso.
I stopped using this word when I realized nobody knew I meant slide presentation. It
probably saved my job.
110. P
roactive. When people are proactive they take the initiative. Doesnt take the initiative
sound stronger and more like something a real person would say?
111. P
ush the envelope. This could mean to act aggressively, assume risk, expand the
boundaries of, or advance to the boundary. Think about what you mean exactly, and
then describe it.
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112. Quite frankly.
Q-R Use this phrase only when you want people to know youre being otherwise deceptive
and insincere.
115. Rationalization.
This is a euphemism for getting fired. Vendor rationalization means your supplier got fired;
workforce rationalization means you get fired. Avoid euphemisms always. They infuriate
people and are guaranteed to worsen the reaction to your bad news.
118. Resonate.
When an idea resonates, it reaches people on an emotional level or in a way they can relate
to. This is why it may be better to say either that people will be moved by this idea or will
relate to this idea.
119. Roadmap.
Vague. In business, a roadmap could be a strategic plan, a tactical plan or a set of
instructions. Decide what you really mean and describe accordingly.
120. Robust.
Robust functionality just doesnt resonate. On the other hand, people will relate when you
say your product does a lot of useful things.
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123. S
eamless.
S See frictionless. Few things, if any, in business are seamless. Replace this word with
something along the lines of easy to implement.
124. S
ecret sauce.
Your secret sauce is your competitive edge; something crucial you can do that your
competitors cannot. Secret sauce trivializes a supremely important concept; replace the
phrase with key benefit, unique benefit, unique advantage, etc.
125. S
ense of urgency.
When I hear this bit of corporate-speak, I think the seller is just going through the motions of
sounding concerned. Id rather hear, were deeply concerned, which is personal and direct,
or were working an extra 10 hours a week, which is specific. Or both.
126. S
kin in the game.
A gruesome phrase youd expect to hear from Hannibal Lecter. Stick with the professional
and universally understood ownership interest.
127. S
olutions.
For my money, the worst word in the world. When people hear solutions, they think, Heres
a complicated product that will create more problems than it solves. Or, their minds simply
go blank because theyve heard the word a million times. Replace solutions with specific
benefits; e.g., This product simplifies household budgeting.
128. S
oup to nuts.
To avoid coming off like a buffoon, substitute comprehensive or complete.
129. S
tate of the art.
This phrase used to be state of the art but now lets customers know your product has
jumped the shark (see jump the shark). Better to avoid superlatives and describe it as your
latest model, or having the latest technology.
130. S
trategic plan.
Few companies have the stamina and expertise to create a genuine strategic plan. More
often, the phrase is used to describe a strategic sketch, strategic guesswork or a tactical
plan. Dont overinflate what youve created (and your ego) by calling these latter items a
strategic plan.
131. S
trike while the iron is hot.
See make hay while the sun shines.
132. S
ynergy.
When things synergize, they combine to have a greater impact than they can achieve on
their own. Synergy is a useful business concept, but the word has been run into the ground.
The key is to avoid synergy when you mean only collaboration, cooperation or consolidation.
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133. T
able stakes.
T Table stakes are minimum requirements to engage in a particular business. Use minimum
requirements instead.
134. T
ake strides.
A way of saying were improving that implies you started from a poor position. If thats what
you mean, fine.
135. T
ake to the next level.
A way of saying were improving that implies you started from a strong
position. If thats what you mean, fine.
137. T
hought leader.
See guru, ninja and rock star.
138. T
ouch base.
See reach out.
139. T
raction.
In general business usage, when something gains traction, it begins to take hold or gather
momentum. Either of these latter phrases conveys the idea more clearly than traction.
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140. Unpack.
U-V To unpack an idea is to examine it in detail. Unpack is becoming overused; better to stick
with examine in detail.
141. Utilize.
Dont utilize something; use it.
142. V
alue-added.
Saying your product or service has value-added components doesnt tell anyone
anything about what the value is or how the value is relevant; in other words, the phrase is
meaningless. Reaching for this phrase means the time has come to point out product and
service benefits.
144. Viral.
Few things in the world of marketing go viral. Most business mentions of this word mean
four or five people tweeted your blog post.
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145. White Paper.
W-Z Bad on two counts. First, its pretentious: THE IVORY TOWER HAS SPOKEN! Second, its
too often used to describe a scrap of drivel rather than what it is supposed to be an
authoritative report.
146. Win-win.
Theoretically, its a game where both parties win; the opposite of a zero-sum game. In
business world reality, a win-win is a phrase the party that wins more uses to console the
party that wins less. Better to avoid the whole concept and describe specifically what each
party gains.
147. W
ith all due respect.
Usually a prelude to an insult. This phrase is utterly delete-worthy.
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