Buzz off with those buzzwords

USA Today (Society for the Advancement of Education), April, 2005

Companies claiming to create "synergies" in an effort to develop a "value-added" "paradigm" that leads to new "solutions" may want to be strategic in another way--not going overboard with cliche phrases and industry jargon.

Executives were asked in a survey by Accountemps, Menlo Park, Calif., a specialized staffing service for temporary accounting, finance, and bookkeeping professionals, "What is the most annoying or overused phrase or buzzword in the workplace today?" Besides those already mentioned, their responses included: at the end of the day; thinking outside the box; metrics; take it offline, redeployed people; on the runway; win-win; get on the same page; customer centric; Generation X; accountability management; core competency; alignment; and incremental.

"Buzzwords and industry jargon are a form of shorthand used by people within a particular company or profession, but they can be confusing or even seem exclusionary to individuals outside of that field," points out Max Messmer, chairman of Accountemps and author of Job Hunting for Dummies. "When these words are overused, they can lose their impact altogether"

Part of the motivation to use buzzwords can be attributed to a desire to demonstrate expertise, but this can backfire. "Even though the terms you use may be clear to you, other people must understand them if you hope to communicate your point effectively," says Messmer. "For instance, instead of saying a project was a 'win-win" explain why it was successful."

As society and pop culture evolve, old catchphrases die out while new jargon is born. Following are some examples of currently popular buzzwords and their meanings:

* "Watercooler games" are coworker discussions.

* "Smell test" is determining the potential success of a product; formerly "Run it up the flag pole."

* "Critical path" means determining the appropriate steps to take.

* "Low-hanging fruit" are easy opportunities for new business.

* "Bandwidth" is the amount of time and resources needed for a project.

* "Download" is to assess the facts of a particular situation.

* "Brain dump" signifies providing all of the information, typically given when someone is handing over an initiative or preparing a successor.