You’re intelligent. Savvy. And an expert in your field.

But could the words and phrases you use in everyday work conversations make you sound like Lloyd Christmas?

Right or wrong, people judge you based on the way you converse, and a seemingly innocuous comment can easily be misinterpreted (and forever impact a co-worker’s perception of you). Think before you speak! Keep your foot out of your mouth by avoiding these things smart people never say:

Potentially insensitive phrases:

Articulate, emotionally sensitive professionals choose their words carefully. Prevent misunderstandings and demonstrate your EQ by thinking through the way others may interpret what you say. Start by eliminating these phrases from your conversations:

• “As I said before…” This phrase subtly implies that the person you’re addressing has forgotten something. It may well be true, but using language like this reflects negatively on you – by making you sound insecure or hinting that you think you’re superior to the “forgetter.”
• “You look tired.” An observation like this isn’t compassionate; it’s insulting. Choose a sentence like, “Is everything okay?” This is a more neutral, sensitive way to show your concern for a co-worker.
• “You always…/You never…” Rarely does someone ALWAYS or NEVER do something, so don’t reduce their actions to absolutes. If you want to be taken seriously, stick to the facts, especially when it comes to the frequency of another’s behavior. Try a phrase like, “It seems as though you do this often,” to point out something someone else does which bothers you.

Throwaway words:

These words have little or no value. And in a business context, they’re not just worthless – they make you sound less intelligent than you are. If you’re in the habit of using any of these words, work to eradicate them from your vocabulary:

• Whatever
• Totally
• Like
• OMG

Conversational crutches:

Crutch words help fill awkward silences and give your brain a chance to catch up with your mouth when you’re speaking. If you rely on them to introduce or bridge ideas, resolve to change your ways.

There’s nothing wrong with an occasional pause during a conversation or presentation. In fact, a moment of silence is vastly preferable to listening to someone use crutches like these over and over:

• So
• Um/uh
• Look
• Basically
• Anyway
• Well
• Like I was saying

Unnecessary prepositions/prepositional phrases:

Elevate your speaking by finding more concise ways to express yourself. Eliminating extraneous prepositions and prepositional phrases is a simple, effective way to sound as intelligent as you truly are. Here are a few examples of unnecessary prepositions:

• Where are you at
• I’m going off of
• I’m about two seconds away from
• In the process of (try using “while” or “as”)
• At the present time (you can typically eliminate this phrase entirely without changing your meaning)

Verbal redundancies:

Show that you really understand the meaning of the words you choose by dropping verbal redundancies like these from your speech:

• Close proximity
• Estimated at about
• Past experience
• Very unique
• Whether or not

Searching for articulate temporary employees or new hires?

Exact Staff moves beyond job descriptions to uncover what candidates truly need to thrive in your organization. Whether your requirements are local or national, temp or direct-hire, we’ll deliver the exact talent solution you need.