Business Cliches: Now at an Office Near You!!

Having spent just over a year in the corporate world, I have had my little share of exposure to the language used in offices around the world – during meetings, conference calls, general conversations, and what not. While these phrases are important by right and eloquently bring out ideas, over time and repeated usage (many times used out of context even), they have become trite.

It probably won’t surprise you to learn that “thinking outside the box” has just been voted the most overused business cliche in the country. We’re grateful to a Nintendo-sponsored poll for that piece of news. Read more here.

I have here under compiled a list of words that are commonly spoken, mostly in offices (but also outside). I will not bother to explain the meanings as they are all self explanatory. They are in no specific order.

• Synergy
• Strategic fit
• Core competencies
• Best practice(s)
• Bottom line
• Giving 110%
• 80-20
• Maximize / Minimize / Optimize
• Bring the “A” game
• Seamless
• Let’s take this offline
• Actionable / Impactful
• The iPod of <insert industry name>
• Going from good to great
• Ballpark figure
• Reaching “that” level of granularity
• Gotta raise the bar
• Step up to the plate
• Key take-aways
• We’ll loop you in
• Game-changing
• Dynamic
• Under the radar
• Drinking from a fire-hose
• Revisit  (an issue)
• Expeditious (or expedite)  or facilitate
• To tell you the truth (or “the truth is”) , Honestly/frankly
• 24/7
• Close the loop / Out of the loop
• Benchmark
• Value-add
• Proactive
• Win-win situation
• Think outside the box
• Heads-up
• Push the envelope
• It’s not rocket science
• Behind the curve
• Jump the gun
• Fast track
• Result-driven / goal oriented
• Knowledge base
• At the end of the day
• Touch base
• Mindset
• Client focus(ed)
• Paradigm
• Game plan
• Leverage
• Moving forward
• Keep in view
• Hit the ground running
• Bandwidth
• Home run
• Recommendation
• Being on the same page
• Let’s run the numbers and see how they look?
• My plate is full
• Liaise
• I’m on top of this
• Taking (something) to a new level

While I will try an update this list when I can, do feel free to let me know about your experiences.

My next article will be on “generality” and its common usage in movies, flirting and general conversation.

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