Survey lists most annoying buzzwords in corporate America

A new survey singles out the most overused corporate buzzwords that seem to be glutting up business communication.

After surveying more than 600 human resources managers in the U.S. and Canada, Accountemps found that the most annoying buzzwords are "forward-thinking," "dynamic" and "pick your brain."  Other annoying buzzwords listed in the survey include "circle back," "drill down," "leverage," "employee engagement," "deep dive," "let me get back to you," "win-win" and "at the end of the day."

Dora Onyschak, a branch manager at Robert Half International, which runs Accountemps, said when you use buzzwords that are considered to be overused, your message may not be as meaningful to your audience.

"It's really about understanding what your objective is before you start communicating to your audience," Onyschak said. "When you use this kind of jargon and these buzzwords, it can be confusing."

If you are guilty of overusing one of these words, what can you do to stop?

One idea, according to Accountemps, is to emphasize to a listener or listeners at the beginning of your conversation why what you are saying is important to them.  Another idea is to demonstrate your interest and enthusiasm about what you are talking about. That enthusiasm is likely to get noticed.

Creating a buzzword jar in the office is another suggestion to reduce the number of overused buzzwords, according to Accountemps.  When someone is caught using corporate jargon, he or she contributes a quarter to the jar, with the money collected going toward a worthy cause either inside or outside the office.

Some buzzwords simply refuse to go away.  "Circle back," "leverage" and "win-win" were also listed in similar surveys done by Accountemps in 2004 and 2009.

The bottom line, according to Bill Driscoll, New England district president of Accountemps, is clarity. "It's generally best to avoid the tired cliches and trendy buzzwords in favor of clear, straightforward language."