Stop Using These 30 Phrases At Work!

What are the top 30 overused phrases at work? 

Bernard Marr, a best selling business author, spells out what he thinks are the 30 most irritating and overused phrases in the workplace in this article. Marr's list is both helpful and terrifying. Why? Because I find myself using a few of these phrases. But as a college student approaching the beginning of my career faster than ever, this list is extremely eye-opening.

A big downfall of my generation is the lack of professionalism. My generation seems to have missed the memo about how to communicate, dress, and act professionally. I have been told this time and time again by business people. With that stereotype in mind, I have tried to keep my eyes open for any sort of help cracking the code of business etiquette.

Marr's list proves helpful to me personally and I believe it could be helpful to others whether you are a secretary or CEO. Everyone should be weary of these phrases in their professional and personal lives. 

But now my question is what are the alternatives to these phrases?

Are these phrases overused? Yes. Are they irritating? To most people, yes. 

But what are the alternatives? What do you think should replace these outdated phrases?

1. Going forward
2. Drill-down
3. End of play
4. Touch base
5. It's on my radar
6. No brainer
7. Best of breed
8. Low hanging fruit
9. Reach out
10. Dive deeper
11. Think outside the box
12. Positive momentum
13. On my plate
14. At the end of the day
15. Run the numbers
16. Touch points
17. Keep your eye on the ball
18. Back to the drawing board
19. Get the ball rolling
20. Bang for your buck
21. Close the deal
22. When the rubber hits the road
23. Shift paradigm
24. Move the needle
25. Game-changing
26. Move the goal post
27. Value added
28. Win-win
29. Across the piece
30. All hands on deck

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Facebook is Bad for You

Ever wonder about the effects of Facebook on social habits?

This article by the Economist addresses that exact question. A recent study conducted by Ethan Kross of the University of Michigan and Philippe Verduyn of Leuven University in Belgium claims that "the more someone uses Facebook, the less satisfied he is with life." This bold statement has huge impacts on current generations, as the average person spends over 15 hours on Facebook a month.

The study goes into further detail about the specific emotions the viral social media site, Facebook, has on it's users, including tension, depression, and isolation.

As a personal user of Facebook, this is worrisome. But on the other hand, Facebook has become a social norm not just for a person's social life, but the site has leaked into all facets of one's life. As a college student, it seems uncanny when someone does not have a Facebook.

So now the question becomes: what is one to do? Should we abandon the social media site that has revolutionized social media? Or should we simply embrace the side-effects?

As a lasting trend, I do not believe social media is going away. People are addicted to it, businesses need it to communicate with their consumers, and it seems as though life runs on social media. But as users, we need to be aware of social media's effects. We must be weary of the fact that social media should be used as a tool for interaction, not in place of personal, social interactions.

It is our responsibility as consumers to be aware of the effects of social media, specifically Facebook, and use such sites appropriately.

What do you think? Have you experienced the effects of social media personally or via someone else? What should we do?

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