NEWS AND INSIGHTS UPDATE:
Are you guilty of using phrases in your business communications that could be doing more harm to your career than good?
Darlene Price, founder and president of Well Said, Inc. and author of the new book, Well Said!: Presentations and Conversations That Get Results
The list filled with phrases that most people in business have probably said at one time or another, but if you want to be successful in the long-term, you need to avoid saying them in the future. Here are some examples from Darlene’s list that you may have said or heard a colleague say before:
“I may be wrong, but…” or “This may be a dumb question, but…” or “I’m not sure about this, but…” or “This may be a silly idea, but…”
Eliminate any prefacing phrase that demeans or negates what you’re about the say. Instead, get rid of the self-deprecating phrase, drop the “but” and make your comment.“I think…”
Which of these two statements do you find to be more effective? “I think you might like this new solution we offer” vs. “I believe (or I’m confident) you’re going to like this new solution we offer.” The first one contains two weak words, “think” and “might.” These words make you sound unsure or insecure about the message, and subtly undermine your credibility. Notice how the second sentence is confident and strong. Replace the word “think” with “believe” and strike the tentative “might.” That’s a statement from someone who believes in what he or she saying.“I can’t do that” or “That’s impossible” or “That can’t be done.”
Even though you may feel this way on the inside, others perceive these negative phrases as pessimistic, nonconstructive, and even stubborn. Colleagues and business partners most likely want to hear what can be done. Instead say, “I’ll be glad to check on that for you” or “What I can do is…” or “Because of company policy, what I can do is…”
You can follow the link below to read Darlene’s full list of words that should be banned from business communications and get all of the details about why and how to do so. It’s a great read with excellent tips and advice.
Get the details: 10 Phrases that Should Be Banned from the Workplace via physbiztech.com
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Susan Gunelius
Susan Gunelius is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Women on Business. She is a 30-year veteran of the marketing field and has authored a dozen books about marketing, branding, and social media, including the highly popular Ultimate Guide to Email Marketing, 30-Minute Social Media Marketing, Content Marketing for Dummies, Blogging All-in-One for Dummies and Kick-ass Copywriting in 10 Easy Steps. Susan’s marketing-related content can be found on Entrepreneur.com, Forbes.com, MSNBC.com, BusinessWeek.com, and more. Susan is President & CEO of KeySplash Creative, Inc., a marketing communications company. She has worked in corporate marketing roles and through client relationships with AT&T, HSBC, Citibank, Intuit, The New York Times, Cox Communications, and many more large and small companies around the world. Susan also speaks about marketing, branding and social media at events around the world and is frequently interviewed by television, online, radio, and print media organizations about these topics. She holds an MBA in Management and Strategy and a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing and is a Certified Professional Career Coach (CPCC).
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