There have been a recurring theme in the news about executives and celebrities who opened their mouths and inserted their foot down their throats. And when the inevitable backlash occurs – usually in short order because of modern social media – there is always a minor chorus of “They […]
When Meredith attended the Defense Language Institute, there would be times she would eat at the DFAC – a cafeteria for the military. Seating at a table there would frequently be the newbie soldier sprouting off about snipers, Special Ops, Airborne or whatever because they had an uncle […]
The company I used to work for did this “Annual Tour” where bigwig executives got us together at night, paid for a catered dinner, and gave these long winded presentations about the company. We played a drinking game – one sip for each use of the word “synergy”.
Nobody made […]
We last spoke of the need to ask questions instead of always making assumptions – it leads to less error and lower risk. But how do you identify when someone is making an assumption? Here’s a few markers to help you tell when assumptions are being made: Genius […]
One of the great questions that my class mates at Central College addressed my freshman year was, “Do you call it soda or pop?” when referring to soft drinks. It seems that those from the east called it soda and those from the Midwest called it pop. For […]
Photo Credit: kajarno via Flickr
1. Never, ever use email to avoid
having a difficult conversation with someone.
A lot of people do this, and they usually give the same excuse: “I feel that I express myself better in writing.” It’s a self-centered justification that doesn’t actually improve communication. What they’re really saying […]
Click here for Escaping Buzzwurgatory: Part I – Why Bad Buzz Words Happen to Good People
KnockKnockStuff.com used to sell these
corporate slang flash cards.
They’re funny because they’re sadly, sadly true.
Language is a habit, and sometimes we forget to change our language when we speak to different groups. We babble on, blissfully […]
read more from Matt Thompson on Poynter here
There are thousands of articles bashing buzz words. We get it — they’re often horrific, demoralizing, infuriating relics from the Ninth Gate of Hell. But they’re not all bad, nor are they always useless. Used properly, they can simply and succinctly communicate […]
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