Ten Buzzwords to Use or Dump in 2023

So that you can level up your communications in the office, let’s dig into the actual meaning of the buzzwords you’re hearing. What do they mean, where do they come from, and how might we communicate better using alternatives?

In my research for this article, I found it amusing to discover how some buzzwords from decades ago continue to buzz annoyingly in people’s ears, standing the test of time. And other buzzwords have interesting origins.?In my last article, “How & Why to Wrangle Buzzwords,” I considered the good and bad of buzzword usage and how to manage the lexicon for your company’s organizational culture.

While no single person is an authority on the value of using these words for your organization, many professionals would agree that having a deeper understanding of their meaning puts you in a better position to control their unwieldy nature.

“Agile”

While used in many ways today, a 1994 book on buzzwords defines the original use in business with the term “agile manufacturing.” In agile manufacturing a business could quickly change its production according to consumer demands. Techies took on the term in about 2001 for a new methodology of software development. And now from agile software development, people are generally using the term for any process that uses testing and iteration.?

Even more broadly, it’s defined as the “ability to move quickly and easily.” So that means managers are saying, “Let’s be agile and get it done.” The reason why this? became a trendy word is because large organizations are beginning to realize that? weighty processes and bureaucracies are stifling their ability to respond to the rapid fluxes of the current day, such as in consumer demands, global supply chains, and the ways people work. A testament to the times, 麦肯锡 recently published a series of articles titled “How to Be an Agile Organization.”

A problem with this term can be that it evades how to be agile. People can easily say that they are agile or will be agile, but what are the steps you’ll take to prove that agility? If you use the term, consider adding the details.??

“Intentional”

I spoke with Love Odih Kumuyi , Founder & Culture Engineering Officer of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at the consultancy Unsiloed. We originally connected in Cambridge for a Harvard University course, “Building Organizational Cultures.” She points out how subjectively the word can be used. And specifically in the DEI space, “intentional”’ is often used without explaining the action or behaviors someone plans to take.?

Love gives the example of someone saying, “We need to be more intentional about hiring inclusively or providing mentorship for our staff from marginalized backgrounds.” And then when hiring, the hiring manager might “ask candidates vague questions about ‘how they feel about diversity.’” That is a pretty weak attempt to put in the effort that is supposed to be behind intention.?

On the other hand Love says, “They could take distinct steps to ensure a specific percent of candidates come from non-dominant identity groups, partner with recruiters committed to diverse hiring, or remove proxies for bias from the attraction, interviewing and onboarding processes.”?

So ultimately, if using the word “intentional,” back it up with the specifics of how a task or project will be completed with intention. Provide distinct steps, parameters, and goals in order to illustrate that intent.?

“Low-hanging fruit“

“Low-hanging fruit” is a project or deliverable that can be easily achieved in a short time-frame.The great thing about going after low-hanging fruit in business is that it requires minimal resources and has a greater chance of success. It is an easily obtained goal. A lot of times, the low-hanging fruit is brought up when a much more lofty goal is being discussed. I.e. “Before we launch into this new market, let’s capture some low-hanging fruit with the clients who have already expressed interest.”?

However, using the word can also express acceptance of mediocrity or a desire to distract from bigger ideas that can be transformational. This article on CoachHub - The digital coaching platform thoroughly lists several not-so-positive motivations for the use of the word.?

As an alternative, you could put low-hanging fruit into a more ambitious context by saying, “Let’s start with more easily accessible goals, learn from those, and then we can start to build a strategy for this big goal.”?

“Lifetime value”?

According to a recent article, the use of this term in earnings transcripts for 4,800 US companies went from:?

• Q1 of 2019: Less than 100
• Q4 of 2022: Almost 500

This term describes the value a customer brings over the course of their individual lifetime interaction with a product or service. So why is it a buzzword now??

It’s reflective of the changing business environment. In this Fast Company article, Greg Kihlstrom says that customer-centric brands “have demonstrated that long-term thinking about generating value from those customers can pay off more than short-term transactions.” To make “lifetime value” a buzzword of 2023, some shifts have prompted companies to, well, put more value on lifetime value.?

I spoke with Greg, and he says that usage of third-party cookies in browsers, which are used to target ads, are pretty much out due to consumer data privacy issues in 2023. So brands “have been scrambling to create alternatives.” Additionally, it’s become easier to measure lifetime value as data sourcing has become more sophisticated. So “lifetime value” is an example of a buzzword trend that reflects shifts in business demands, law, or other areas.?

In my opinion, this term could also have renewed emphasis because of another dreaded buzzword - recession (defined below). By focusing on the lifetime value, it brings more vision of revenue than only looking in more immediate terms. This term also shows that as economic and cultural forces ebb and flow, so does the popularity of usage.?

“New normal”

This term is overused to the point of being clichéd. Of course the term grew as a result of the dramatically rapid rate of change we experienced starting in 2020. An article by Aneel Chima and Ron Gutman in Harvard Business Review called it “An Era of Exponential Change.” In the last two years however, what we’ve discovered is there is no “new normal.” This term is struggling to ascertain clear parameters on what is “normal” within the ever-changing environment of the contemporary and very digital world.?

Greek philosopher Heraclitus said, “The only thing constant is change.” If Heraclitus is right, we need to accept that constant shifts and pivots (two other buzzwords) are here to stay.?

An alternative to “new normal”? In your office, instead of calling a new behavior the “new normal,” speak about the specific patterns you see in the needs and actions of your employees and your organization.??

“Now More Than Ever”

I’ll share my personal opinion on this one. Less a buzzword and more a buzz phrase, this cliche says that the moment we live in is more unique than any other. Every time it is said the underlying message is, “I want to bring more drama to the current moment.” Perhaps since 2020 was the first time many of us needed to face real struggle, we now think that “Every moment of our lives is more special than other moments in history.”?

It sounds naive so let’s stop using it. Instead you could say, “We need to do this now” or even explain the specific economic/environmental/cultural conditions that are prompting the idea that you want to share.???

“Outside the box”

According to a survey of 4,500 corporate workers, this phrase was the second most annoying buzzword next to “synergy.” It means to take a fresh perspective beyond the norm. The problem with telling people to “think outside the box” or come up with some “out of the box ideas” is that people can’t just be told to be creative.?

As mentioned in my last article, “Experiences Will Get People to the Office in 2023,” IDEO co-founder David Kelley says, “Creativity is not the domain of a chosen few.” Training, activities, and numerous other steps can strengthen creative skills. It is a process and doesn’t just magically appear when someone says, “Think outside of the box.”?

If you ever say this phrase to your co-workers, it can come off that you’re frustrated because the underlying message is, “You aren’t coming up with the ground-breaking ideas I want.” Instead of telling people to think outside the box, lead them there by asking questions that prompt them to critically evaluate their current ideas and to imagine possibilities without bounds.?

“Recession”

A recent NY Times article says that “recession” is a trending buzzword among the C-Suite. Of course we all know this word. The fact that this is considered a buzzword shows the changing business environment. Executives want to project into the future as best they can, and the more uncertain the future, the more anxiety they may have about it.?

The economy is always ebbing and flowing. The dreaded “R” word casts a dark cloud on any conversation. You could choose to be hard fast and use the word, but why when we aren’t even in a recession??

As an alternative, consider talking about projections with transparency for the possibility of an “economic downturn” which doesn’t have the same weight of the word “recession.”

“Synergy”?

This word continues to be on the “get rid of these annoying buzzwords” articles, but interestingly, I found it mentioned in books on management consulting from about 20 years ago. So this buzzword is not a passing fad.?

Synergy originally was used mostly for mergers, to explain that the two entities would gain more than if they existed independently. The basic idea is 1+1=3. Here’s a good outline of proper usage of the term in business by Allan Adler . A book about buzzwords published in the ‘90s defines it as “good overlap.”?

The reality is that mergers and acquisitions are a mess with huge risks and the word is now used for any kind of partnership. Users of the term, which embodies the excitement of the word “energy,” may use its buzz to distract from the complexities of a partnership. For example, sometimes people use it when presenting on cost savings, such as a merger resulting in the consolidation of high-level leadership positions. Usually the cost savings don’t materialize. Synergy can pump up the positive of an actually complicated process.?

Sometimes the term gets erroneously used when two people of different departments or different entities partner and they want to express that they will work well together. “There’s some good synergy happening here.” Some people might mean “good energy,” but that sounds too touchy-feely for many. More direct communication can have more impact, i.e. “I am confident in our partnership” or “I am looking forward to what we come up with.”??

“Well-being” “Wellness”

These words were circulating pre-pandemic, and have become greater corporate priorities. As the barrier between our personal and professional lives has blurred, the business world is understanding that “wellness” is not just something that happens off the clock anymore. Organizational psychologist Sesil Pir wrote a Forbes Magazine article titled “The Well-being Schmooze: Biggest Buzzword of 2022.” She states that while criteria like compensation, benefits, and status have usually been behind employee satisfaction, “it seems well-being is being noticed as a new value driver for global employees.”?

I spoke with Caitlin Krause , who is Chief Wellness Officer at TRIPP, Founder of consultancy MindWise, and Educator at Stanford University. We originally met as speakers for an event with VRAR Chicago where we talked about using storytelling to add meaning for experiences with virtual and immersive technologies.

Caitlin sees the rise of the use of “well-being” and “wellness” in conjunction with the attention companies are giving to its value as “a great sign that these terms have traction and are important.”?

Caitlin doesn’t see any alternative terms per se, but does recommend ways to make this buzzword have substance. She explains, “Now, we have to shape out more use cases, more data, and more consistency with making sure it’s not a checkbox on a list of terms a company thinks they are addressing.”?

BEING MINDFUL OF YOUR BUZZWORDS

We could use the buzzword of intentionality here! Caitlin makes a good point that you should be aware of how you respond to hearing these words. She says, “If a word is shouting itself at you, trying so hard for your attention, sometimes it’s worth it to explore what it’s trying to say, and then give yourself permission to turn the volume down and look the other way - or not!“

For some tips on managing buzzword use, see my article “How & Why to Wrangle Buzzwords.”

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If you’d like to keep pondering this topic:?

Are You Using Buzzwords Your Employees are Sick of Hearing by Nicole Fallon-Peek , Co-CEO of Lightning Media Partners

Avoid These 'Cringeworthy' Phrases that Annoy Your Co-workers by CNBC Reporter Morgan Smith