The Economy

Leveraging this Space to be Cutting Edge

Aug. 28, 2009

What would a business blog be these days without a few badly - I mean badly - overused words and phrases? Well, thanks to our friends at Accountemps who just conducted a survey, we've got them all!

The staffing services firm asked 150 senior executives, "What is the most annoying or overused phrase or buzzword in the workplace today?" Here are some of the "winners":

Leverage as in "We intend to leverage our investment in IT infrastructure across multiple business units to drive profits."
Reach out as in "Remember to reach out to customers impacted by the change."
Game changer as in "Transitioning from products to solutions was a game changer for our company."
Value-add as in "We have to evaluate the value-add of this activity before we spend more on it."
Cutting edge as in "Our cutting-edge technology gives us a competitive advantage."

Accountemps conducted a similar survey in 2004. Based on the two surveys, they cited the following "hall of fame" buzzwords:
At the end of the day
Synergy
Solution
Think outside the box
On the same page
Customer-centric

If you value clarity and precision in business communication as much as I do, I hope you found this post interesting. And if not, well, sorry for the disconnect but it is what it is.

About the Author

Steve Minter Blog | Executive Editor

Focus: Global Economy & International Trade

Email: [email protected]

Follow on Twitter: @SgMinterIW
Call: 216-931-9281

An award-winning editor, Executive Editor Steve Minter covers global economic and international trade issues, tackling subject matter ranging from manufacturing trends, public policy and regulations in developed and emerging markets to global regulation and currency exchange rates. As well, he supervises content production of all IW editorial products including the magazine, IndustryWeek.com, research and informationproducts, and executive conferences.

Before joining the IW staff, Steve was publisher and editorial director of Penton Media’s EHS Today, where he was instrumental in the development of the Champions of Safety and America’s Safest Companies recognition programs.

Steve received his B.A. in English from Oberlin College. He is married and has two children.