2012’s List of 10 Bungled Business Phrases to Banish – Part I

By Wayne Mates

What better way to start out the New Year than with my semi-annual list of phrases or words to banish from your business vocabulary.  Delete them from your personal conversation as well and you will do the world a favor. Click links below this post for previous lists.

• Not Enough Bandwidth – This phrase has replaced “not enough time” in business lexicology. The phrase originally described slow data transfer in the tech world where there was not enough bandwidth to transfer data quickly.  Leave it with the techies where it belongs.
• Stakeholders – used to describe those who have an interest in a project or idea. I am not sure how this term evolved and at one time the word had merit.  It is overused today.  When I hear this word it brings a vision of people standing around holding stakes and wondering where and when to drive them into the ground.
• Move the Needle – This term is used to describe changing the status quo, presumably for the better.  Its origin is murky and may have come from moving needles on seismographs or speedometers.  I listened to someone just a few weeks ago describe how he wanted to move the needle with his company.  I scratched my head as the phrase was used over and over in his presentation making me wonder if he had any clue how stupid he sounded.  How about replacing it with the better terminology of making progress.  Of course he could have used getting off the dime.
• “Anything” 2.0 – This term is finding its way into the business world to describe implementing or completing an item or plan that is far better than its predecessor, as in “We are now implementing sales 2.0.”  As a former software company owner, this wording scares me. As anyone involved in technology knows, any product dubbed with the dot zero moniker probably has bugs and will need lots of patches and fixes to work properly.  Move the needle to anything 3.0!
• Granularity – Instead of looking at things from a 30,000 foot view (love that one, too), we are going to examine the details of a project or idea.  Does this come from granules of salt or sand?  Who knows?  It’s just another silly word used in business today.

There are the first five of this year’s phrases and words.  Next week I will post the rest of the list.

While researching this post I came across this item that shows how silly some companies can be in terms and verbiage that gets used:

“My employers (top half of FTSE 100) recently informed staff that we are no longer allowed to use the phrase brain storm because it might have negative connotations associated with fits. We must now take idea showers. I think that says it all really.”
Anonymous, England

Links to previous posts –

 

Banish These 10 Bungled Business Words and Phrases

Banish These 10 Business Phrases Forever!!

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