High Falutin' Goofy Talk: III

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    Next Issue

Is every other day a tense, anxious, angry misery as you watch people around you, who couldn't even think their way through a game of Jacks, win at workplace politics and steal the credit and glory for just about everyone's best work including yours? Read 303 Secrets of Workplace Politics, filled with tips and techniques for succeeding in workplace politics. More info

Footnotes

Your comments are welcome

About Point Lookout

Thank you for reading this article. I hope you enjoyed it and found it useful, and that you'll consider recommending it to a friend.

Point Lookout is a free weekly email newsletter. Browse the archive of past issues. Subscribe for free.

Support Point Lookout by joining the Friends of Point Lookout, as an individual or as an organization.

Do you face a complex interpersonal situation? Send it in, anonymously if you like, and I'll give you my two cents.

Related articles

More articles on Effective Communication at Work:

Manipulated Commitments

Manipulated or coerced commitment looks pretty good on paper, but it might not lead to dedicated action. When the truth is finally revealed, trouble can be unavoidable.

When Fear Takes Hold

Leading an organization through a rough patch, we sometimes devise solutions that are elegant, but counterintuitive or difficult to explain. Even when they would almost certainly work, a simpler fix might be more effective.

Changing the Subject: I

Whether in small group discussions, large meetings, or chats between friends, changing the subject of the conversation can be constructive, mischievous, frustrating, creative, tension relieving, necessary, devious, or outright malicious. What techniques do we use to change the subject, and how can we cope with them?

Some Truths About Lies: III

Detecting lies by someone intent on misrepresentation is an important skill for executives, managers, project managers, and just about anyone involved in knowledge-oriented organizations. Here's Part III of our little collection of lie detection techniques.

Unintended Condescension: I

Condescending remarks can deflect almost any conversation into destructive directions. The lost productivity is especially painful when the condescension is unintended. Here are two examples of remarks that others might hear as condescension, but which often aren't intended as such.

See also Effective Communication at Work and Workplace Politics for more related articles.

Forthcoming issues of Point Lookout

Coming February 1: The Big Power of Little Words

Big, fancy words, like commensurate or obfuscation, tend to be more noticed than the little everyday words, like yet or best. That might be why the little words can be so much more powerful, steering conversations where their users want them to go. Available here and by RSS on February 1.

And on February 8: Kerfuffles That Seem Like Something More

Much of what we regard as political conflict is a series of squabbles commonly called kerfuffles. They captivate us while they're underway, but after a month or two they're forgotten. Why do they happen? Why do they persist? Available here and by RSS on February 8.

Coaching services

I offer email and telephone coaching at both corporate and individual rates. Contact Rick for details at rbrenZLkFdSHmlHvCaSsuner@ChacbnsTPttsdDaRAswloCanyon.com or (650) 787-6475, or toll-free in the continental US at (866) 378-5470.

Get the ebook!

Past issues of Point Lookout are available in six ebooks:

• Get 2001-2 in Geese Don't Land on Twigs (PDF, )
• Get 2003-4 in Why Dogs Wag (PDF, )
• Get 2005-6 in Loopy Things We Do (PDF, )
• Get 2007-8 in Things We Believe That Maybe Aren't So True (PDF, )
• Get 2009-10 in The Questions Not Asked (PDF, )
• Get all of the first twelve years (2001-2012) in The Collected Issues of Point Lookout (PDF, )

Are you a writer, editor or publisher on deadline? Are you looking for an article that will get people talking and get compliments flying your way? You can have 500-1000 words in your inbox in one hour. License any article from this Web site. More info