Business Jargon: 10 Examples of Corporate Buzzwords

Business jargon is common throughout many different types of work environments. For example, you might hear a startup employee talking about wanting to “synergize” or a corporate manager asking to “circle back” with one of their team members about a given “deliverable.”

For some people, these phrases start to gain traction in their vocabularies in business school, while others pick them up at their workplace. This manner of speaking can draw criticism due to its reliance on clichés and allegedly pretentious verbiage.

Business jargon can become grating to coworkers eager to talk in a more casual, authentic vernacular. Here are three reasons to steer away from using these sorts of phrases:

• Business jargon is imprecise. When you opt to use jargon rather than simply stating your intent or opinion in a straightforward way, it might come across as difficult to comprehend. In business, clear communication is essential; however, corporate jargon is imprecise. When using the English language in a business setting, place emphasis on functionality rather than frills.
• Business jargon is inauthentic. Business leaders who use corporate-speak can come off as pretentious to their staff. It sometimes has the unfortunate side effect of sounding robotic or elitist to those who prefer to speak the same way at work as they would in any other arena of their lives. Opting for a more authentic and relatable vocabulary can make people feel more relaxed and at home in the workplace.
• Business jargon is unoriginal. Business jargon terms are almost all clichés. When people use them, they tend to use them frequently—and this makes them feel overdone and grating to others. Relying on buzzwords like these prevents you from creatively and precisely speaking about specific problems. At the end of the day, it’s important to think outside the box and fit your vocabulary to your coworkers’ needs rather than falling back on unoriginal, one-size-fits-all verbiage.

Seemingly countless phrases and clichés comprise the reservoir from which business jargon draws. Consider these ten business buzzwords and phrases:

1. 1. Bandwidth: If someone asks you if you have the “bandwidth” to perform a task at work, what they’re asking is if you have the time to do so. There’s really no reason to substitute the one word for the other. Using plain English rather than corporate jargon might come across more clearly.
2. 2. Bleeding edge: This phrase takes “cutting edge” to the next level, potentially coming off as too grandiose and graphic when the speaker means to refer to innovations in the business sector.
   
3. 3. Buy-in: When you ask for someone’s “buy-in,” you’re asking them to approve or support your decision or suggestion. On the flipside, you might ask for someone’s “value-add” to suggest they make a contribution to your app, project, or another business venture. In either case, ask yourself if you can just use a more common word to convey your meaning.
4. 4. Circle back: During a meeting, one person might ask another for the opportunity to “circle back” on what they’re saying. It’s a corporate way of asking whether or not you can talk about something later. Either way of conveying the point is fine—they’re synonymous to the phrases “reach out” and “touch base.” Still, it can come off as pretentious to some.
5. 5. Core competency: This business term refers to a person or organization’s innate talents and abilities. For example, instead of saying, “We excel at connecting people with each other,” you would say, “Connecting people with each other is one of our core competencies.” Neither is incorrect, but the former is more precise and human.
6. 6. Deep dive: When someone uses this euphemism, odds are they’re saying they want to explore a given issue further. “Drill down” is another business phrase you might hear to the same effect. For instance: “Let’s take a deep dive into what makes our training program work.” This is just one example of slang from the corporate sector you can take or leave in your own vocabulary.
7. 7. Deliverables: Whether you work from home or in an offline work environment, your employer might ask you for “deliverables” at some point. This is just a fancy way of asking you to get your work done—usually a specific task or project. As with other examples of business-speak, one of the key takeaways here is there’s usually a simpler way to say this.
8. 8. Game changer: Businesspeople sometimes describe new processes, services, or products as “game changers” or “paradigm shifts.” These phrases can sound over-the-top given what a high standard they set. As a general communication hack, understatement is a little easier to overcome than overstatement—rather than appearing arrogant and coming up short, you appear modest and come across more impressively.
9. 9. Synergy: Businesses operate because many moving parts and people work together in concert—or in “synergy.” Still, consider the following phrase: “Let’s synergize our ideation and workflow.” Ask whether using this sort of lingo is necessary when you could instead just say, “Let’s work together.”
10. 10. Thought leader: When someone calls themselves a “thought leader,” odds are they’ll come across as someone trying to maximize their ego rather than as a true visionary. Let others call you this if they please—giving the title to yourself can come across as arrogant and counterproductive.

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