“We’re optimizing our workflows to deliver value-added solutions.” What’s your gut reaction to this sentence? Does it inspire you to find out more, or even open your wallet? I’m guessing the answer is no. It’s full of meaningless corporate buzzwords. Still, these kinds of management buzzwords are everywhere.
Businesses often use corporate buzzwords to sound more professional but sometimes it has the opposite effect. There’s a place for technical language, but if the drone of buzzwords is drowning out your voice, it’s time to cut the jargon.
In my teaching days, I often found myself translating education buzzwords for parents. Now I help clients communicate their value clearly to customers. Unnecessary jargon: meet my red pen!
Read on to see examples of management buzzwords, alternatives to use and a jargon-busting flowchart to help you eliminate corporate slang from your copy, once and for all.
What is jargon?
The word “jargon” comes from Old French and originally meant “the chattering of birds”. Birds often use repeated patterns or phrases and humans can’t understand their twittering. In the same way, technical jargon words are difficult to understand. When overused, they become meaningless buzzwords.
Common types of corporate jargon include:
- Acronyms: Each letter stands for a word – like KPI (Key Performance Indicator).
- Metaphors: When words are used symbolically to represent something else that is similar in some way. For example, calling your employees “rock stars” is supposed to be a flattering way of saying they are exceptional. Unfortunately, it often comes across as patronising or as a sign that the work environment might be stressful. Plus, it makes you feel kinda sad that you aren’t a real rock star.
- Portmanteaus: Two words that are blended together – like “smarketing” (sales + marketing) and “edutainment” (education + entertainment).
Different areas of expertise have their own jargon, which is difficult for outsiders to understand. As a teacher, I can confirm there is a lot of jargon in the world of education. Business jargon is particularly infamous for being annoying. And reminding us of work. Nobody wants that, even if they are at work.
10 examples of business jargon and corporate buzzwords to avoid
1. Actionable Insights
Actionable takes the noun, “action” and turns it into an adjective with the -able suffix. Is this necessary? Can we leave making up new words to Shakespeare? See also using “action” as a verb. “Insights” might be justified if you have done some deep thinking or research, which has led you to an uncommon idea. But not all recommendations are, or need to be, insights.
Alternative: recommendations, useful advice, suggested changes.
Example: “We use the data we collect to give you useful advice so you can improve.”
2. Best In Class / Industry Leading
Best in class is a big claim! It means you are the best product or service in your category. Even if this is true, so many people are using this buzzword you are probably better off letting the evidence speak for itself.
Alternative: This is a great opportunity to use specific achievements, testimonials or statistics.
Example: “We were voted the best provider of ABC in XYZ magazine.”
3. Future-proof
The future is uncertain. It’s hard to keep up with the rate of change in technology. This makes people anxious. But nothing can be future-proof. That’s just a fact of life. Making this promise is disingenuous.
Alternative: “We anticipate change and adapt accordingly.”
Example: “We’re committed to anticipating and adapting to change. That’s why we’re confident you’ll still want to use our product/service 5 years from now. Here’s how we are staying relevant…”
4. Low-hanging fruit
A metaphor, meaning a task you can do quite easily that will be worthwhile (fruit that hangs low off a tree is easy to pick). For example, adding a testimonial to your website only takes a few minutes but it will keep on reassuring customers and encouraging them to buy for years.
Alternative: “Quick win” is still a metaphor, but it’s much easier to understand. Or, “simple but effective small changes”.
Example: “We can advise you on what small, manageable changes will be most effective.”
5. Next-gen
This is an attempt to position yourself as the “new kid on the block”. Don’t snooze on us: we are the future! But you’re better off telling customers what problems you will solve for them, and how, rather than making vague futuristic promises.
Alternatives: We are a young team/new business. We are making these specific changes that will serve our industry/customers in the future.
Example: “We designed our product to save energy/appeal to young people/solve X problem by…” “We were the first to…”
6. North Star
The North Star is a metaphor for something that guides or focuses you. It usually means the team’s most important goal. It sometimes means a company’s values. Travellers used to use the real North Star to find their way.
Alternative: goal, value, aim.
Example: “Our most important goal is to encourage loyalty by providing better customer service than our competitors.”
7. Outcomes/Solutions
Yes, we know your audience wants results and you want to solve their problems. But be specific. Which outcomes? What solutions?
Alternative: There’s no problem with using these words, just don’t use them on their own. Always give an example and explain what you mean.
Example: “The outcome was…” “Our solution to XYZ problem is…”
8. Synergy
Nothing. It means nothing. Joking! It’s when people or systems work together and achieve something they couldn’t have done as individuals. “The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.” For example, a choir of fifty children singing in harmony is different to fifty children singing their own favourite song.
Alternatives: teamwork, working together effectively.
Example: “Combining our teams let us work more effectively and achieve more than if each team worked separately.”
9. Utilise
Utilise means “use”. I can’t think of any situation when saying “utilise” will provide more clarity to your audience than simply using the word, “use”.
Alternative: “Use”.
Example: “We use products sourced from… because…”
10. Value-added
It’s just… vague. Nobody’s going to fall for this one.
Alternatives: Tell them exactly what’s in it for them. Back it up with case studies, testimonials or statistics if you can. If not, use examples.
Example: “Our client [name] increased their sales by 10% after using our service.”
Are corporate buzzwords and jargon always bad?
Corporate buzzwords may be irritating, but they’ve come into existence for good reasons. Work is often specialised, and we come across things that can’t be explained using everyday words.
For example, ROI stands for “return on investment.” It’s calculated with a specific formula and generally used between people who know what it means. Replacing it with “the ratio of net profit to the total cost of investment” is awkward and could be confusing.
Still, in external marketing communications, even these well-defined specialist terms might need to be explained and illustrated with storytelling and examples: “I spent £100 on a new grass trimmer for my gardening business. In the first week, I made an extra £60 — that’s 60% of my investment already recovered. If this continues, I’ll be in profit within two weeks.”
So jargon as technical vocabulary between specialists who understand the terms isn’t a problem. But external communication often requires more everyday language.
Rather than automatically using buzzwords that you’ve heard before, you’ll be a better communicator if you use jargon mindfully, considering your reader or listener.
Why avoid corporate buzzwords?
In case you still aren’t convinced, here are few of the most compelling reasons why businesses, charities and other organisations should avoid management-speak buzzwords.
They’re vague.
It’s not that the phrase, “value-added solutions” doesn’t mean anything. It’s that it could mean anything. What are these solutions and how do they add value?
They’re confusing.
Cramming buzzwords into a sentence obscures your meaning. The reader has to mentally translate each buzzword. That’s a lot of effort.
They’re annoying.
Overused management buzzwords sound cliché. We’ve all had that annoying friend as a kid who repeated a word endlessly until it lost its meaning.
Worse, readers might be suspicious that you are using technical jargon as a smokescreen to hide something from them.
They’re exclusive.
Jargon and buzzwords are used within cultures by in-groups. People inside the group know what they mean. For example, teachers know that “scaffolding” means providing support for learners, then gradually removing it.
The problem is that it can be hard for outsiders of the group to understand what the insiders are talking about. Have you ever been a parent on parents’ evening and struggled to know what the teacher meant when they said your child was responding well to scaffolding in STEM subjects?
This exclusivity can harm both insiders and outsiders. If you own a business, you want to communicate clearly with your customers and help them to understand your product; not confuse them with corporate buzzwords they don’t understand.
In workplaces, business jargon can create concerning extra barriers. Have you ever read a job description and needed a dictionary to figure out if you even met the criteria?
So, how can you avoid alienating your readers?
Solutions to the plague of corporate jargon:
- Use everyday language as much as possible. Imagine you are talking to an intelligent friend who knows nothing about the topic.
- Know your audience. Write with an audience in mind. Try to use words your readers already know and use. You can even ask them for feedback!
- If you must introduce new technical term, define it. Include a glossary (like this one), or use plain English and include the jargon word in brackets.
Use evidence and storytelling: Rather than vague claims like “trusted by industry leaders”, use a quotation from a recognised industry leader. Describe in detail how your product or service helped someone. Testimonials, case studies and statistics are your friends. (The marketing jargon for this is “social proof”.)
To help you to decide whether or not to use particular buzzword, I’ve created this flowchart. Feel free to download the PDF!
Download a free PDF here!
FAQs
What’s the current buzzword for 2025?
Well, if Google Trends (and my LinkedIn feed) is anything to go by, “AI” has to be up there. Searches for AI have increased dramatically and dwarf the other buzzwords I looked up. Is AI really a buzzword, or just a hot topic? Well, it’s probably transitioning from being jargon to being part of everyday speech, so we’ll let it have its day.
What are the most professional words to use in marketing?
The most professional words to use are words that your reader will understand. It’s best not to use slang or filler words in professional writing, but it’s ok to write in a conversational style.
Is jargon good or bad?
Using technical or industry-specific terms can help you to be more precise in your language, if you are writing for an audience who will know the terms already. However, using too many jargon terms can make your writing difficult to read and cause your reader to lose interest.
Conclusion: How to escape the Jargon Jungle
We can’t always avoid using jargon. Sometimes replacing a technical term with everyday speech means you end up replacing a specific meaning with something that’s long-winded and vague. For example, replacing KPI with “things we’re tracking to see if we’re being successful” feels a bit awkward.
But if you use too many buzzwords without defining them, and just assume people know what they mean, you risk excluding your audience. You lose a customer who doesn’t understand what your product does. You lose a client who doesn’t know what you do. You lose a fantastic employee who’s neurodiverse, or grew up underprivileged, or is changing careers, and is intimidated by the technical jargon you’ve used in your job posting.
So, let’s action this before close of play, yeah?
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