360DigitalInfluence

Buzzword Bingo became all the rage in the mid-1990s after the game was featured in a Dilbert cartoon. Chris Pirazzi, then a software engineer at Silicon Graphics in Mountain View, CA where the game was allegedly invented, says it “arose as a reaction against half-truth and responsibility dodging” in the workplace.

In this recessionary environment, the game has a new relevance, as people tend to gravitate toward clichés and buzzwords when they are uncomfortable – and delivering bad news is never easy.

A few choice terms to avoid:

• Learnings and takeaways – if you’ve made a mistake and learned from it, say so. If you made what seemed like a smart move at the time and then got caught with your pants down, say so. Either way, these are not nouns.
• Scalable – scalable is a word that means very different things, depending on which side of the scale you’re on. To managers and investors, it means you’re flexible and can shrink or grow quickly in response to changing needs. To employees, it means, “You’re disposable.” Don’t use it.
• Unintended consequences – This is another way of saying, “We didn’t see this coming” – and that’s no excuse.
• Impacted – they may be “impacted” when they get your news, but that’s getting pretty personal. “Affected” is a slightly better choice, but “the employees we had to let go” is best.
• Right-sizing – please. Just don’t.