We all have a set of phrases and words we naturally gravitate towards at work, depending on company culture and communication style. It’s just something you develop over time. Some teams have specific language they use that is beneficial to their productivity and morale. For instance, Nike are famous for their extremely competitive internal communication style, used to empower their employees. That’s all good and well but sometimes, no matter what, we end up using phrases that are actually detrimental to our communication and productivity. Here are a handful of clichés that need to go and what to replace them with for more direct and productive communication with your team.

2. ● We all have a set of phrases and words we naturally gravitate towards at work, depending
on company culture and communication style
● Some teams have specific language they use that is beneficial to their productivity and
morale
● However, we sometimes end up using phrases that are actually detrimental to our
communication and productivity
● Here are some clichés that need to go and what to replace them with for more direct and
productive communication with your team

4. What’s wrong with it?
● Yes, of course you need to “boost productivity”. We all do! But, in reality, this means
absolutely nothing
● “Productivity” has become such a classic buzzword that almost no email updating your
team or meeting can be complete with using the word at least once
● Actual productivity should be one of your team’s top concerns - but there are better ways
to focus on it and work on it, rather than just repeating this vague phrase as a reminder

5. What to say instead:
● When talking about productivity, use concrete details your team will actually remember
● Say something specific like “Let’s boost web traffic by 10% this week.”
● Make sure to provide steps to reach a concrete productivity goal
● Productivity is useless if it’s not measurable!

7. What’s wrong with it?
● This is the ultimate procrastination phrase
● To communicate in a way that people feel like their questions and concerns are really
being answered, avoid this one
● The more you use it, the more it sounds like you’re putting off dealing with pressing issues
or suppressing thoughts from your team
● If people always feel like you’re putting off what they bring up to you, you’ll start to hear
less from them

8. What to say instead:
● Address an issue as much as you can immediately, in some capacity
● If you can’t fully address something, plan a follow-up with some actionable steps
● Instead, try something like: “Please send me an email with more detail. When are you
free to talk about this?”

10. What’s wrong with it?
● This is one we’re all inevitably going to use but – depending on how you use it – it may be
giving off a different connotation than you think
● Saying “I think” before stating an idea or fact suggests you’re unsure or you don’t trust
that what you’re about to say can stand alone
● If what you’re saying sounds like a guess on your part, how can you expect others to put
their trust in it?

11. What to say instead:
● If you listen to some of the best leaders speak, you’ll notice they rarely use “I think” at the
start of a sentence. Rather, they jump right into what they’re going to tell you – as if it’s
fact
● Even though it may always not be, speaking with this kind of conviction will get more
team members on your side and put their trust in your ideas
● Instead of “I think we should do ___ to boost traffic”, try “___ will help us boost traffic.”

13. What’s wrong with it?
● Here’s another classic buzzword repeated so often that it’s lost meaning entirely, much
like “productivity”
● Certainly, innovation should be a priority for every team. But what exactly does that
mean for your team?
● If you’re throwing this term around without truly qualifying what innovation looks like,
no-one knows what to work towards
● Instead, you’re just wasting time in a meeting or lines in an email with another empty
phrase

14. What to say instead:
● Like productivity, qualify and quantify what it means to innovate if you’re going to talk
about it
● Instead, say: “Let’s innovate by finding a faster way to get customers through the
onboarding process.”

15. ● To summarise, communication is a learning game
● No two companies are the same when it comes to language and culture
● However, these phrases aren’t too helpful anywhere, even though they mean well
● Just a few minor changes to the way you communicate can have a huge impact on the way
your team members understand and react to you
● In turn, this can affect overall productivity and team cohesion later on
● Give these suggestions a try and see what we mean!