Language is powerful. Using the right words can signal youre part of the group,convey difficult decisions without ruffling feathers, and demonstrate power. Meanwhile, sloppy word choices are often a red flag for sloppy thinking or a company culture with something to hide. Thats true of firms with impenetrable orpretentious job ads and mission statements, and its also true of individuals. How we speak says a lot about our values. That being true, theres one word you really, really should stay away from if you want to be successful in business, according to Aha! co-founderBrian de Haaff on LinkedIn recently. What word does he think ambitious entrepreneurs should ban from their vocabulary? The innocuous sounding adverb honestly. What about the rest of the time? Whats wrong with signaling your intention to be entirely straightforward? Thats a quality that you shouldnt need to signal, de Haaff insists, because it should be fundamental to your communication style all the time. If you have to highlight that youre speaking honestly by saying honestly, you need to take a hard look at why youre being less than forthcoming or authentic the rest of the time. Other people are already wondering, he warns. A VP of sales who I worked closely with before I co-founded Aha! always said honestly when he really wanted something. He thought that it was a way to make a hard point, but we all questioned whether he was lying to us at all other times, de Haaff writes. But calling your credibility into question isnt the only problem with using honestly for emphasis, according to de Haaff. In the full post, he also explains how the expression can highlight your frustration in an unhelpful, passive-aggressive way, and push people away in conversation. Hes not the only one out there with a very strong and specific verbal pet peeve. Here on Inc, we recently rounded up expressions that even well-educated folks use without thinking that make them sound dumb or inconsiderate, for example. Business jargon and inflated diction are another continuous source of complaint as well. No doubt there are lots of other verbal pitfalls out there. What word or expression would you like to see entrepreneurs ban from their vocabulary? :copied from INC
Posted on: Mon, 17 Nov 2014 15:35:40 +0000