Whether you’re addressing the board of directors, calling members, or emailing colleagues, it’s important to convey your message professionally.
You already know the obvious no-nos words – swear words. Here are eight more words and phrases you may not have realized diminish your credibility and dilute your message.
- “To be honest” or “Honestly”
Is the rest of what you’re saying untrue?
- “Always” or “Never”
There is no such thing as absolutes.
- “Just” or “Kind of” or “Hopefully”
It weakens your message and sounds half-hearted.
- “Really” or “Very”
A conversational crutch that is vague and unnecessary.
- “Stuff” or “Things”
Be specific about what you’re discussing.
Bonus – Frequently Misused Terms (and how to use them correctly):
- “Irregardless” vs. “Regardless”
“Irregardless” is a double negative so it actually means ‘without without regard.’
“Regardless” means ‘without regard’ (think: less regard).
- “i.e.” or “e.g.”
“i.e.” means ‘in other words’ and “e.g.” means ‘for example’ (remember it as: example given).
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