Cut the Fluff - Say Goodbye to Corporate Jargon at Work

If you’ve ever sat through a meeting where someone said, “Let’s circle back after we’ve aligned our bandwidth and ideated a synergistic solution,” and thought What did any of that actually mean? — you’re not alone.

Corporate jargon has become so normalized in business culture that we often don’t realize we’re using it. But here’s the truth: jargon muddies communication, alienates people, and can make you sound more like a walking buzzword generator than a professional with something valuable to say.

Let’s talk about why this matters — and what to say instead.

Why Jargon Hurts More Than It Helps:

• It’s exclusionary. New hires, clients, or collaborators outside your industry may not understand your shorthand.  Having recently spent time with my preteen nieces and nephews, I find they are saying things that I don’t understand.  When I asked what those phrases meant to them, what a big eyeroll!  That’s when I realized I’ve gotten similar responses from employees in various meetings.  If you have seen that but not put two and two together, now is your time!
  

• It kills clarity. Jargon often makes a simple idea sound overly complicated.  If you catch yourself using corporate jargon, immediately stop and ask yourself what message you are trying to convey.  Then remember, the KISS method.  As professionals, we should always keep our message short and simple.  Let’s not overcomplicate matters here!
  

• It wastes time. People spend more energy decoding your words than engaging with your message.  If you find yourself having to google a phrase to understand what it means, remember that your employees and your audience will have to do the same.  Let’s save us all some time by using the real words we wish to express.  Even if, no especially if, we are communicating something to help everyone improve.
  

• It can feel inauthentic. If you want to sound trustworthy, speak like a real human.  There’s no further explanation needed regarding this one.  Overuse of buzzwords can make you sound like a used car salesperson.  (No offense to the used car salespeople though, we understand it’s how you make your living!)

If you discovered by self-analysis that you are guilty of using corporate jargon, here’s a list of the 10 Most Overused Corporate Jargon Phrases (and What to Say Instead)

Jargon	What it Really Means	Try Saying This Instead
“Let’s circle back.”	We’ll talk about this later.	“Let’s revisit this tomorrow.”
“Bandwidth”	Time or energy to take something on.	“Do you have time for this?”
“Move the needle”	Make an impact.	“Will this actually help?”
“Synergy”	Teamwork or collaboration.	“Let’s work together on this.”
“Low-hanging fruit”	Easy win or quick task.	“Let’s start with the easy wins.”
“Touch base”	Follow up.	“Can we check in later?”
“Take this offline”	Continue the convo later (or elsewhere).	“Let’s discuss this after the meeting.”
“Ideate”	Think of ideas.	“Let’s brainstorm.”
“Boil the ocean”	Overcomplicate something.	“Let’s not make this bigger than it needs to be.”
“Circle the wagons”	Rally support/protect the team.	“Let’s come together on this.”

Finally, if you are truly committed to cutting the corporate jargon habit, here is a list of things to consider helping you on your journey.

1. Ask yourself: Would I say this to a friend? If not, consider rephrasing.

2. Use plain language. People appreciate clarity more than cleverness.

3. Model better communication. When you ditch the buzzwords, others follow.

4. Be intentional. If you must use industry-specific terms, make sure everyone understands them.
   

If that doesn’t work, here’s a Buzzword Bingo Card that you might consider using in your teams for some good ol’ HR Fun!  It will help with the awareness within your organization and realign communication expectations.  Plus, it may help your own internal team to keep you accountable in your forward-leaning initiative to reimagine and elevate your core capabilities…. Just kidding, I meant to say it would help keep you accountable to your team.  See what I did there!

Holistic	Action Items	Thought Leader	Pencils Down	Low Hanging Fruit
Win – Win	Touch Base	Synergy	Bandwidth	Drill Down
Ecosystem	Move the Needle	Free Space	Quick Win	Boil the Ocean
Disruptive	Circle Back	Offline	Deep Dive	Pivot!
Ideate	Buy-In	Scalable	Leverage	Value-add

The Bottom Line

Jargon might make you feel like you're speaking the corporate language, but too much of it turns communication into confusion. Simpler, clearer language helps build trust, improves collaboration, and gets your message across faster. And isn’t that the point?

So next time you’re tempted to “leverage synergies to optimize holistic solutions,” maybe just say, “Let’s work together on this and make it better.”

Want assistance in simplifying your team’s communication style? Let’s chat.

Our Employer’s Advantage team is committed to helping you be successful and intentional in your communication strategies and we promise NO BUZZWORDS!  I promise.