| No. | Term | Definition |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Absolutely | Overpromises; use specific commitment. |
| 2. | Action items | Jargon; say tasks and owners. |
| 3. | Actually | Sounds corrective; can seem dismissive. |
| 4. | Agile | Buzzword; name the method used. |
| 5. | All hands | Jargon; say company-wide meeting. |
| 6. | Anyways | Informal; use anyway. |
| 7. | ASAP | Vague urgency; give a deadline. |
| 8. | At the end of the day | Cliché; state your conclusion. |
| 9. | Backburner | Cliché; say deprioritize. |
| 10. | Bandwidth | Metaphor; say capacity or time. |
| 11. | Best practice | Vague; cite the practice and source. |
| 12. | Bleeding edge | Hype; describe maturity and risk. |
| 13. | Boil the ocean | Cliché; define a smaller scope. |
| 14. | Bottom line | Cliché; state the key point. |
| 15. | Brainstorm | Generic; specify ideation session goal. |
| 16. | Circle back | Cliché; say follow up when. |
| 17. | Close the loop | Jargon; say confirm resolution. |
| 18. | CYA | Slang; sounds distrustful. |
| 19. | Deep dive | Cliché; specify what you’ll review. |
| 20. | Disrupt | Hype; explain the concrete change. |
| 21. | Do more with less | Demoralizing; discuss priorities and tradeoffs. |
| 22. | Drill down | Cliché; say examine details. |
| 23. | EOD | Ambiguous; state date and time. |
| 24. | ETA | Overused; ask for a specific time. |
| 25. | Fast track | Vague; define steps you’ll skip. |
| 26. | Feedback | Broad; specify what you need. |
| 27. | Fingers crossed | Uncertain; state your plan. |
| 28. | FYI | Can sound curt; add context. |
| 29. | Game changer | Hype; explain measurable impact. |
| 30. | Get alignment | Jargon; say agree on decision. |
| 31. | Going forward | Filler; state the next step. |
| 32. | Granular | Buzzword; say detailed. |
| 33. | Heads up | Vague; state the issue directly. |
| 34. | High level | Vague; define scope or depth. |
| 35. | Hope this helps | Can sound dismissive; offer next action. |
| 36. | Hot take | Informal; state your opinion plainly. |
| 37. | Hyperlocal | Buzzword; specify the location. |
| 38. | I feel like | Hedges; state your view clearly. |
| 39. | I think | Hedges; state confidence level. |
| 40. | In my humble opinion | Cliché; state your opinion. |
| 41. | In the weeds | Cliché; describe the details. |
| 42. | Incentivize | Jargon; say motivate or reward. |
| 43. | It is what it is | Defeatist; state constraints and options. |
| 44. | Just | Minimizes; remove unless necessary. |
| 45. | Just checking in | Vague; state what you need. |
| 46. | Just to confirm | Filler; ask the question directly. |
| 47. | Just wanted to | Filler; state purpose directly. |
| 48. | Kinda | Informal hedge; be precise. |
| 49. | KPI | Acronym; name the metric. |
| 50. | Lean in | Cliché; say engage or participate. |
| 51. | Level set | Jargon; state shared understanding. |
| 52. | Leverage | Buzzword; say use. |
| 53. | Low-hanging fruit | Cliché; list easy wins. |
| 54. | Make it pop | Vague; specify desired change. |
| 55. | Move the needle | Cliché; define the outcome metric. |
| 56. | Net-net | Jargon; state the summary. |
| 57. | Next steps | Vague; list actions and dates. |
| 58. | No worries | Too casual; acknowledge and proceed. |
| 59. | Noted | Can seem cold; confirm action. |
| 60. | Obviously | Condescending; remove. |
| 61. | Off the record | Risky; avoid in workplace. |
| 62. | On the same page | Cliché; confirm agreement details. |
| 63. | Operationalize | Jargon; say implement. |
| 64. | Out of pocket | Ambiguous; say unavailable when. |
| 65. | Pain point | Jargon; describe the problem. |
| 66. | Paradigm shift | Hype; describe the change. |
| 67. | Per my last email | Passive-aggressive; restate request politely. |
| 68. | Ping me | Jargon; say message or call. |
| 69. | Pivot | Buzzword; describe the new direction. |
| 70. | Proactive | Overused; state the action taken. |
| 71. | Pushback | Loaded; say concerns or objections. |
| 72. | Put a pin in it | Cliché; schedule revisit time. |
| 73. | Q1 | Ambiguous; include dates. |
| 74. | Quick win | Vague; define benefit and effort. |
| 75. | Reach out | Cliché; say contact. |
| 76. | Real quick | Minimizes; give expected time. |
| 77. | Respectfully | Often signals conflict; be direct, polite. |
| 78. | Right-sizing | Euphemism; say layoffs or restructure. |
| 79. | Rockstar | Exclusionary; describe skills needed. |
| 80. | Run it up the flagpole | Cliché; say seek approval. |
| 81. | Scalable | Vague; specify scale target. |
| 82. | Seamless | Overpromise; describe user experience. |
| 83. | Synergy | Buzzword; explain combined benefit. |
| 84. | Take this offline | Can shut down; propose time/channel. |
| 85. | Team player | Vague; describe expected behaviors. |
| 86. | Thought leader | Self-promotional; cite expertise area. |
| 87. | Touch base | Cliché; say meet or call. |
| 88. | Transparency | Vague; specify what you’ll share. |
| 89. | Try and | Nonstandard; use try to. |
| 90. | Unpack | Jargon; say explain. |
| 91. | Utilize | Wordy; say use. |
| 92. | Value-add | Jargon; state the benefit. |
| 93. | Very | Weak intensifier; choose stronger word. |
| 94. | We should sync | Vague; propose time and agenda. |
| 95. | Wheelhouse | Idiomatic; say area of expertise. |
| 96. | Win-win | Cliché; state mutual benefits. |
| 97. | With all due respect | Often rude; state disagreement calmly. |
| 98. | Work hard, play hard | Cliché; can imply burnout. |
| 99. | X-factor | Vague; name the differentiator. |
| 100. | YOLO | Unprofessional; avoid. |