by A. South

Created on: March 30, 2009

Here are 17 business buzzwords that went from fresh, to over-used, to annoying by COB. Somehow though, they still get airtime around water coolers and conference tables everywhere.

1) Actionable: This noun sounded high-energy once upon a time, but now it's lazy and soft.

2) Authenticity: Overuse has turned this term into its own antonym.

3) Best of breed: It's impossible to hear this buzzword without conjuring images of a dog show. Or maybe that's just me.

4) Brain dump: Remember when it was called brainstorming? Creativity should never be mistaken for waste, especially if you ever hope to develop any innovative ideas.

5) Co-opetition: This is the business version of the term "frenemy". And why exactly does business need a term for frenemy? Isn't the original annoying enough?

6) Cube farm: It's whimsical, fun, and so truthful it hurts.

7) Disintermediate: This term shortens the phrase "cut out the middle man." While it does decrease the number of words, it has just as many syllables. Even worse, telling someone to "cut out the middle man" is a heck of a lot clearer than "we should really disintermediate".

8) Incentivize: This is not a word, but it's being used so much that, one day, people will think it is. Kind of like the word "normalcy." Don't fall into the trap. Next time you're tempted to "incentivize," try "motivate".

9) Mindshare: Hm. Our ideas aren't condos at the beach. (but we might be up for it if the boss wants us to do a mindshare at his beach-front time share)

10) Offline: This term is particularly annoying when used in meetings. "Let's take this decision offline." Whenever you're surrounded by human beings, you're already offline.

11) Outside the box: Next time you're trying to encourage people to think creativity, resist using a clich.

12) Proactive: This is just ugly business language.

13) Push the envelope: This term has just about reached the end of its life cycle, and it's about time.

14) Repurpose: Face it, you're recycling. Recycling is cool now so just say that's what you're doing.

15) Solution: This word has been worn down and over-used by the corporate world. It's a shame, really.

16) Synergy: It's as if the words "synthesis" and "energy" got together and had an ugly baby. And then that baby became the calling card of every tech company around.

17) Value-add: The term devalues the concept of value and reasserts the idea that talk is cheap.

SOURCE: F@st Company, April 2009

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