Tag Archives: pet peeves

9 clichés to ban forever

Posted on April 29, 2013 by | Leave a comment

Ditch these clichesDitch these overused business clichés in favor of more straightforward language:

  1. “At the end of the day.” It’s just filler. Forget the phrase and get to the point.
  2. “Think outside the box.” A “Be creative” will suffice.
  3. “Push the envelope.” That’s just another way to say “Take risks.”
  4. “Don’t reinvent the wheel.” The phrase is vague. Offer more specific guidance about which aspects should stay the same and which ones should change.
  5. “The ball is in your court.” Enough with the sports analogies. Just say “The decision is yours to make.”
  6. “Work smarter, not harder.” Tell people how to be more efficient.
  7. “Low-hanging fruit.” It undermines the importance of your customers or goals by suggesting that some don’t require much effort. Treat all business objectives the same way.
  8. “Failure is not an option.” Failure is always a possibility, and that phrase does nothing more than cause employees fear and anxiety.
  9. “Rome wasn’t built in a day.” An actual time estimation to launch a new initiative or make a change is much more useful.

I know I am one to use “out-side the box thinking” when I write and speak, so I’m setting a goal to eliminate it.

Do you use any of the phrases above? If so which ones?

[Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/cutiemoo.

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Posted in Effective Communication, Speaking, Writing

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Respond to an emotional coworker

Posted on April 10, 2013 by | 2 Comments

Emotional employee

We’ve all dealt with our fair share of difficult coworkers. I think I probably have struggled the most with emotional coworkers. You know, those people who overreact and cry or scream when something doesn’t go just right. They don’t have the ability to control their emotions (not even at work),  and it seems like the most trivial of things can set them off.

I’ve had a few encounters with such people, and I am always left so angry after dealing with them. After all, what gives them the right to burden me with their emotional baggage, especially when I am trying to do my job? Why should I suffer because they can’t manage their stress or time or feelings? 

Luckily, it’s been a while since I have had to deal with an emotional coworker, but I am sure the day might come again. When it does, I am going to follow this advice from the March issue of Communication Briefings.

When you find yourself in conflict with an emotional coworker, don’t try to rationalize with the person—even if you are right. Common sense doesn’t usually prevail when emotions are involved. Also, don’t immediately jump to problem-solving mode. Unless the person calms down, you won’t gain his or her cooperation. Instead, ease the tension by actively listening:

  • Stay calm. Relax your posture, and be mindful of your expressions. Keep your voice soft and kind. The person is likely to mirror your behavior and calm down. That opens up the possibility for a quicker resolution.
  • Allow the person to voice his or her side—completely. Fight the urge to jump in and offer your opinion, negate the person’s words or justify your actions.
  • Seek understanding. Paraphrase and ask questions to clarify why the person is emotional. Say: “What I am hearing you say is … Is that correct?”
  • Move forward. Ask the person: “Do you want to discuss solutions now? Or should we schedule a follow-up?” Follow through on whatever the person decides.

— Adapted from “How to Handle 3 Kinds of Conflict,” Dan McCarthy, Great Leadership, http://www.greatleadership.com.

photo credit: Ewan Bellamy

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Posted in conflict management, difficult people, difficult situations

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Dealing with an office clown

Posted on March 13, 2013 by | Leave a comment

medium_3506300857 (2)For a very short time a long time ago, I worked for a company selling IT solutions. The job was all wrong for me for many reasons, and so I quickly pursued another career. Of all the things I loathed about the job, No. 1 on my list was the behavior of a co-worker with whom I shared an office.

He was the classic office clown. He told jokes and played pranks. He had a sarcastic remark for everything. To put it bluntly, he was immature and crass. I’ll never forget how uncomfortable he made me or how relieved I was the day I realized he was out of my life for good.

Sometimes I feel bad having so much disdain for the guy because office clowns typically use humor to cover up their own insecurities. Degrading or humiliating someone else makes them feel better about themselves. His behavior may have been a coping mechanism.

Now before I ruffle some feathers. Don’t get me wrong. Not all office clowns are mean-spirited. Some are simply good-natured people who want to lighten things up and others just like the attention.

However, while some people view an office clown’s antics as funny or harmless, others are suffering in silence from the daily barrage of offensive remarks or pranks.  If you are one of the sufferers and a class clown’s behavior affects your productivity—or offends you—address it immediately. Take this advice from The Co-Worker From Hell:  

  • Don’t encourage the behavior. If you laugh at the person’s antics, it’s a sure bet the clowning around will continue. Immediately delete the jokes he or she forwards to you via email. Don’t comment on a recent gag. If the person stops by to joke or casually talk, tell him or her you are busy with work and will catch up with him or her later. Keep a straight face and the person will likely look for another audience. Comedians don’t perform to an unresponsive crowd.
  • Address the behavior. If the clowning around is stalling progress on a project, for example, don’t let the person get away with it. Say: Terry, I love your sense of humor, but we are under a tight deadline and need to move forward. Let’s focus.”
  • Redirect the person. When the jokes or sarcastic remarks start flying, ignore them and say: “Debbie, right now we are focusing on _________. What solutions can you offer?”

What office personalities do you struggle with the most?

 photo credit: <a href=”http://www.flickr.com/photos/desenfocadoflickr/3506300857/”>GuilleDes</a> via <a href=”http://photopin.com”>photopin</a> <a href=”http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/2.0/”>cc</a>

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Posted in conflict management, difficult people, difficult situations

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Grammar lesson: fewer vs. less

Posted on December 17, 2012 by | 2 Comments

Each month in Communication Briefings, our Words in Action feature explains the proper use of commonly confused words. The sample that follows explains why the signs on a store express lane should say “10 items or fewer,” not “less.”

Use fewer when referring to items that you can count. Examples: “This checkout counter is reserved for customers with 10 items or fewer.” “The assignment took fewer days to complete than I had expected.” Use less when referring to quantities that can’t be counted and to sums of money. Examples: “He needed less time to complete the task than I did.” “The new equipment cost less than $1,000.”

What misused words irritate you?

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Posted in Writing

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A rant about smartphone cameras and the messages we send when we use them for the wrong reasons

Posted on December 5, 2012 by | 2 Comments

This post is a bit outside of our normal discussion on Nitpickers’ Nook, but I do think it is an important discussion to have considering the prevalence of smartphone users and the very negative message we convey if we use them inappropriately.

I recently was surprised when I saw that someone posted on Facebook a picture of the altar at a funeral, casket and all—while the funeral was in process. I get that people mourn in different ways, and capturing the altar, with the flowers and deceased’s image in the moment may have been cathartic in some way for that person, but I couldn’t help but get this image of my Facebook friend taking out a smartphone in the middle of all that grieving to snap a picture. To me, that just seems so inappropriate, but maybe I’m the one with the problem.

Over 50% of Americans currently own smartphones, most with high mega pixel cameras built in, and you can find evidence of their use everywhere. Media outlets encourage it, too, from magazines asking readers to send in “caught in the act” photos to news sites asking viewers to send in shots of a local storm. Television programs like World’s Dumbest …, Tosh.O and Ridiculousness are capitalizing on the trend.

I’ve seen images of people wearing crazy outfits or behaving in not-so-couth ways flash across Facebook and show up in my text and email inboxes. People’s most private—and embarrassing moments—are captured and posted on YouTube for the world to see. One of my “friends” on Facebook has regularly posted pictures of the “crazy” customers that visit his store. How’s that for customer service?

I am always left thinking “How do people take these pictures and videos without the subject of the image noticing?” Are the picture takers particularly stealth in how they capture the image? Or are we as a people just so accustomed to the practice that we don’t care when people point their smartphones at us?

Not me. I care. I find it disrespectful and, in some cases, downright cruel. That’s not the image that I want to portray. You won’t find me using my camera phone to catch anyone in the act of doing anything. And if some stranger is pointing a smartphone at me, I won’t take it lightly.

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Posted in Nitpickers' Debate, Writing

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