7 Phrases We All Use On The Job That Are Diminishing Our Work

By: Sophia Ronga / October 5th, 2020

Our language businesses-itself-up at work. Suddenly we become people who say “let’s circle back to that” or “I think we should double click there.” I’ve never once said those phrases with friends, but I have to admit to saying them at least daily work co-workers.

It’s easy, when you have a business vernacular, to get caught on phrases that on the surface seem benign. When you think about the implications of those phrases, however, you might be surprised in how they diminish your overall message.

1: “Does that make sense?”

This one is first because it’s the one that I am most guilty of - I’ve used it in almost every scenario. Whether I’m trying to give instructions, one on one, rambling, Michael Scott style, hoping my sentences find their way to an eloquent, concise explanation of the task at hand… whether I’ve gone over my presentation for the umpteenth time… hell, whether I’m letting the intern know the directions to the bathroom, I often find myself second guessing if my audience has any clue what the heck I’m trying to convey.

Using the phrase “does that make sense?” gives the sense that you don’t have confidence in either A. your ability to communicate or B. your audience’s ability to understand you the first time. Neither of these is a particularly flattering scenario. Rather it is better, after explaining something, to simply pause and look up. Take a minute to breathe. The reaction from your audience (e.g., looks of confusion around the room or a room full of nodding heads) should give you all the information you need as to whether your words have been fully absorbed.

2: [Insert b.s. excuse here after a mistake was caught in work]

It is, in a word, embarrassing to mess up. Even more embarrassing when someone catches it before you can. And often, it can be tempting to blame the error on the lack of sleep, the fact that you’re new to the job, a difficult time understanding the instructions, etc. (and it may even be true).

But research has shown that those who make excuses after failures are thought to be more deceptive, self-absorbed, and ineffective. Not exactly the way you’d like to be described by your coworker or manager.

Instead, own up to the situation and lay out the steps to ensure it doesn’t happen again. You can try using language such as “Thank you for pointing this out. In the future, I’ll be sure to do [XXX] to ensure that we can avoid this scenario in the future.”

3: “No problem”

We’ve seen the meme. We’ve laughed at the meme. Because we’ve lived the meme. You wanted to say “no worries” and “all good” and instead you said “all worries.” In a work environment, there’s a goal many employees strive for: making it all seem effortless. Yes, I can balance what’s on my very loaded plate and take some additional off yours and don’t you fret this will not cause me even an ounce of anxiety. Good for you, if that’s the case, but given the universality of the meme, I’m guessing it’s not…

“No problem” implies this lack of effort, when in actuality, I’ve found myself saying after putting hours into a task. Say “you’re welcome” instead.

4: “I could be wrong here, but…”

This phrase, again, projects a (possibly feigned) lack of confidence. After all, if you think you’re wrong, why are you bringing it up at all? By leading with this phrase, it diminishes the value of what you’re following it with.

There are two situations in which it’s used:

You don’t think you’re wrong but you’re using it as a filler: Remove it from your phrasing entirely.
You’re unsure of the right answer, and want to give your two cents on what you think it may be: Rather than leading with the fact that you may be wrong, start off with what you know, then state your conclusion. If you think there is some reason for doubt, close with what continues to give you pause. An example might be “I know that revenue has been up in the last four quarters and that this followed a drop in prices, so I think that is probably the reason for growth. However, I also know the company ran a fairly large marketing campaign, so I’m not totally sold that this was unrelated.”

5: “Sorry if I’m not understanding this, but…”

Again, there are two scenarios in which you might use this phrase:

When you are simply trying to clarify a point
When you truly do not understand an explanation

The former is easier to deal with. Replace the language with “To clarify, are you saying [XXX]?” This subtly removes the context that you might be misunderstanding something (a you problem) and instead shifts the conversation to be about clarity between two or more people (a we problem).

In the second scenario, someone may have told you something that might as well have been in Greek (maybe they even followed it up with “does that make sense?”) First, note that there’s no need to apologize. You shouldn’t be expected to absorb everything that is said on the first go! Cut the “sorry” lingo from the phrase. Then walk through what you do understand before landing at what might still be fuzzy.

6: “... just…”

The impact of this word hit me when I was faced with its definition. Just (adv.): barely, a little, only, no more than.

If you can replace the “just” in your sentence with one of the definitions from above and the sentence still works, then you could consider leaving it. Otherwise, it likely does not convey the intended implications.

For example, “I just wanted to check in”... is that the same as “I barely wanted to check in”? “I only wanted to check in” and do not see a reason to do anything else but check in? More often than not “just” is ~just~ a filler (no more than a filler) and can be left out of the sentence.

7: “This is [insert person’s name here]’s fault”

As the famed Shaggy once said, “it wasn’t me.” And with that simple, eloquent phrase, a generation of blaming has ensued. (No credible source here, but pretty sure I’m right).

Jokes aside, it can be easy to find fault with work someone else did and not acknowledge your own role in something (and again, that may even be the truth). But it should not come as a surprise that offices that are heavy into the blame game are more toxic work environments.

Instead of immediately shifting the blame to someone else, suggest what you can do to rectify the situation, possibly without having to mention why it even came up in the first place. If your boss says to your team, “there’s a mistake in our presentation.” You don’t have to say “It’s Holly’s fault, but let me fix it.” You can simply say, “let me fix it.” A more communicative, trusting, and cooperative workplace is a more productive, healthier place to be.

It can be really hard to work these phrases out of our vocabulary, but identifying when we’re saying them is the first step to making changes to our vernacular. So, cut the bad language, speak about your work confidently, and watch the praise pile on (only half kidding).