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Published:
09/03/2010
Top 10 worst business jargon phrases revealed
‘Face time’, ‘touch base’ and ‘out of the box’ have been named as some of the worst business jargon phrases in a survey commissioned by Holiday Inn. The study, conducted by Redshift Research amongst 1,000 UK workers, reveals that over a third (39 per cent) of people lose focus in meetings after just 20 minutes, with a fifth (21 per cent) blaming their lack of concentration on jargon overload.
Over 55s are the most intolerant of corporate chatter (51 per cent) with over a third (35 per cent) tuning out of meetings after just 15 minutes. However, the nation is in agreement that business jargon annoys them (47 per cent) and almost half (42 per cent) confess they find it hard to follow what’s being said in meetings. One in two people believe their colleagues only use management speak to appear more intelligent.
Holiday Inn has drawn up a top 10 list of alternative business jargon phrases along with tips on how to get the most out of a meeting, which are available on its website. Florence Eavis from Holiday Inn said: “We believe getting rid of pointless jargon will help people concentrate for longer in meetings, which is why we’re asking our guests to be themselves and speak in plain English.”
Top 10 worst business jargon phrases:
Worst business jargon / Holiday Inn alternative
1 Out of the box / Think differently
2 Touch base / Make contact
3 Blue sky / Limitless thinking
4 Incentivise / Encourage
5 Brain dump / Transfer information
6 Downsizing / Reduce
7 Synergy / Working together
8 Ducks in a row / Organised or prepared
9 Face time / Meeting
10 Leverage / Use
http://www.holidayinnmeetings.co.uk/planning-tips