Don’t Fall Into The Buzzword Trap

“At the end of the day thinking outside the box enables creative, innovative solutions that produce a sustainable strategy. The synergistic, seamless brand adds visibility and leverage to the overall enterprise”

Follow all that? Well, you shouldn’t have. That was a mix of buzzwords thrown together in a couple of minutes to highlight the overabundance of fluff that goes into press releases and marketing. A lot of the words have become so cliché that their meaning is all but lost, yet are still used daily by people and businesses.

The Problem

Office jargon and marketing speak has become so staple in today’s business world that overuse of these buzzwords only confuses your clients. In an effort to appear ‘innovative’ and ‘ahead of the curve’ without real content and results to back it up you just appear to be fluffing up your presentation with meaningless filler.

In a recent LinkedIn report on the top 10 most-used words and phrases of 2016, Danielle Restivo, Senior Manager of global communications programmes at LinkedIn commented: “We wouldn’t describe ourselves as ‘motivated’, ‘driven’ or ‘enthusiastic’ in real life, so why do it on a LinkedIn profile? We’re encouraging marketers to show off achievements through photos, presentations and examples of other work to demonstrate how they are ‘passionate’ or ‘creative’ rather than use overused buzzwords”.

When you’re on the other side of the meeting it becomes apparent very quickly that the person across the table from you isn’t having a normal conversation with you, they’re talking at you, they’re a robot, spewing out words and phrases which usually ends up with you rolling your eyes, you’ve heard it all before and the meeting goes nowhere.

This isn’t to say stop using the words altogether and put a blanket ban on the use in the office. Using some of these words and phrases sparingly is completely fine, just be careful not to cram in too many, weave it into a well thought out presentation or press release.

The words below are some of the top 10 over-used buzzwords and phrases of 2016:

Creative

This word is thrown around far too often in certain industries and seems to be a replacement for being original. Don’t get me wrong, being creative is essential in a lot of jobs, but using your work is usually the best way to show this, you don’t have to state it.

Innovative

Most likely the biggest culprit and the most common word said in the workplace. Nobody states “I’m so innovative!” Again, use your own work show the results, push the boundaries and the recognition for that will come.

Track Record

This is used quite a lot in sales pitches and meetings to get a customer to believe in their previous work. A history of great work is essential in instilling confidence in your clients but let that speak for itself.

Motivated

This is another word that usually doesn’t have to be stated, of course you’re motivated or you wouldn’t be here. Being motivated is the base for what a client would expect from you and your business, going beyond that is something to brag about.

The Solution

A fix for this problem is rather simple, level with your clients, speak to them like you would a normal human being, this is how we work here at Digital Next and we understand that this level of interactivity makes the relationship between you and your clients a lot more sustainable and efficient. The channels of communication will be a lot clearer for both sides and the work will be better for it.