
Children playing a computer game. Both appear to be having a great time. Have you noticed that the boy appears to be more in control of the computer than does the girl? Maybe they'll have to switch to get to the next level.
Leadership and social status at work depend, in part, on how we use language. Being clever and evoking powerful imagery are two techniques that help to distinguish our own use of language. Because few of us are so clever and so facile with the language that we can create our own powerful imagery, we repeat what we've heard from others in our lives or in the media. Repeating something that's still fresh is probably helpful.
Repeating something that's no longer fresh is unhelpful. Notice that I avoided making a reference to the "sell-by date" of stale and overused linguistic forms. That term is itself an example of high-falutin' goofy talk.
Here's Part III of a list of phrases that are no longer fresh.
- Bite the bullet
- To "bite the bullet" is to finally take an action or make a decision that one would rather not.
- The term probably comes from a (possibly apocryphal) tale that in previous centuries, battlefield medical personnel who lacked anesthetic would ask their patients to clench a bullet in their teeth before they underwent painful surgeries, such as amputations. Is that really an image you want to evoke in your meetings?
- Drink the Kool-Aid
- To "drink the Kool-Aid" Few of us are so clever
and so facile with the
language that we can create
our own powerful imageryis to adopt whole-heartedly what one is told to believe. It is also a metaphor for extreme dedication to a cause despite the potential for self-destruction. - Kool-Aid is a powder used to make a fruit drink. In November 1978, in a remote settlement in north Guyana that had been established by an American cult called the Peoples Temple, over 900 cult members committed suicide (some unknowingly, and some forcibly) by drinking a fruit punch made from Kool-Aid, cyanide, and prescription drugs. Is that really an image you want to evoke in your meetings?
- Think outside the box
- To "think outside the box" is to think unconventionally, creatively, or from a new perspective.
- This phrase is so heavily used that FastCompany has published an article about its use. [Kihn 1995] Its origin probably traces to management consultants in the 1970s or 1980s. If you're advocating "thinking outside the box," using a phrase as clichéd as this one tends to undercut your advocacy. Avoid it.
- Throw <someone> under the bus
- Now there's a gory image. To "throw someone under the bus" is to betray a friend, ally, colleague, subordinate, or supervisor for selfish reasons.
- This idiom is of relatively recent origin — less than 20 years, more or less, depending upon where you believe it began. Still, it has been so heavily used in mass media that using it in the workplace is of no advantage, and might even lower your social status.
- It's a win-win situation
- A win-win situation is one in which all participants receive benefits. If there is only one participant, then the implication is that all outcomes are favorable.
- The term is a play on either no-win or win-lose. Early in its usage, it was clever-sounding, because the latter two terms were so much more familiar that Win-win stood out — it seemed almost paradoxical. But by now it's so heavily used that the cleverness has worn off. Moreover, the term is often misused and misinterpreted as if it meant compromise. [McNary 2003] Avoid it.
- Take it to the next level
- To "take it to the next level" is to improve it in some significant way.
- The term probably is a reference to the level-oriented structure of most computer games, wherein players face successively more difficult challenges arranged in groups, or "levels." During the early days of computer games, using the term at work probably seemed clever. Today using the term is no longer clever, whether you work in the computer game industry or not.
A memorable feeling accompanies hearing these phrases for the first time. It can even be thrilling. We repeat these phrases ourselves, in part, to recreate that feeling. That might work somewhat at first. After a few repititions, though, it's a dubious strategy. First in this series Top
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Related articles
More articles on Effective Communication at Work:
Let Me Finish, Please
- We use meetings to exchange information and to explore complex issues. In open discussion, we tend to
interrupt each other. Interruptions can be disruptive, distracting, funny, essential, and frustratingly
common. What can we do to limit interruptions without depriving ourselves of their benefits?
Publish an Internal Newsletter
- If you're responsible for an organizational effort with many stakeholders, communicating with them is
important to success. Publishing an internal newsletter is a great way to keep them informed.
Chronic Peer Interrupters: III
- People who habitually interrupt others in meetings must be fairly common, because I'm often asked about
what to do about them. And you can find lots of tips on the Web, too. Some tips work well, some generally
don't. Here are my thoughts about four more.
What Is Hypophora?
- Hypophora is a rhetorical device that enables its users to deliver simple messages with enhanced power.
But it has a dark side. The people who read or hear those messages tend to assess them as having more
merit than they do.
Barriers to Accepting Truth: I
- In workplace debates, a widely used strategy involves informing the group of facts or truths of which
some participants seem to be unaware. Often, this strategy is ineffective for reasons unrelated to the
credibility of the person offering the information. Why does this happen?
See also Effective Communication at Work and Workplace Politics for more related articles.
Forthcoming issues of Point Lookout
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And on June 21: Asking Burning Questions
- When we suddenly realize that an important question needs answering, directly asking that question in a meeting might not be an effective way to focus the attention of the group. There are risks. Fortunately, there are also ways to manage those risks. Available here and by RSS on June 21.
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