Office Cliches: An Illustrated Guide

An ILLUSTRATED GUIDE to 10Office Clichés ! Clichês "LOW-HANGING FRUIT" ,, (Easily achievable targets or tasks) In conversation: "Let's identify the low-hanging fruit first." 2 "RUN IT UP THE FLAGPOLE" Test the feasibility and popularity of a new concept In conversation: "Run it up the flagpole and see who salutes." "PEEL BACK THE LAYERS OF THE ONION" Investigate a situation systematically in order to identify deep-lying issues In conversation: "We need to peel back the layers of the onion on this one." 4 "SQUARE THE CIRCLE" Attempt to do something that is very difficult or impossible In conversation: "We can't square the circle with his project." "REINVENT THE WHEEL" Wasting time attempting to do something that has already been effectively achieved In conversation: "This is fairly straight forward-we don't need to reinvent the wheel." 6 "BREAK DOWN SILOS" Encourage cross-departmental or cross-site communication In conversation: "We really need to break down the silos in this office." 7 MAX "PUSHING THE ENVELOPE" Attempting to achieve outstanding levels of performance In conversation: "We should be pushing the envelope on this particular project." "DUCKS IN A ROW" To be prepared and particularly well organized In conversation: "Let's get our ducks in a row before the CEO's visit." "PLAY HARDBALL" To be firm and determined in order to achieve a desired outcome In conversation: "He's a nice guy, but he can play hardball when he needs to." 10 "ΚΕEP ΜΕ IN THE LOOP" To keep [the speaker] updated or informed about something In conversation: "Get started on the project, and keep me in the loop about your progress." SOURCES Cassidy, A. (2017). Squaring the circle on jargon. Why do we speak in riddles at work?. TheGuardian.com. Cohen, T. (2014). Keep me in the loop' (aka please talk to me). PhiladelphiaBusinessJournal.com. Dolan, A. (2010). Talking nonsense in the office? You need a reality sandwich. DailyMail.co.uk. Forbes. (2017). Most Annoying Business Jargon - Peeling the Onion. Fried, J. (2016). The Common Myth About Hard Work That's Holding Your Business Back. Inc.com. Gleeson, B. (2013). The Silo Mentality: How To Break Down The Barriers. Forbes.com. [email protected]. (2004). Off With the Gloves: The Hardball Approach to Business. Smith, C. (2014). The 13 worst office jargon phrases staff love to hate. TheGuardian.com. TheEconomist.com. (2017). Clichés. Williams, I. (2017). 20 office cliches to avoid at all costs. News.com.au. © 00 HEADWAY CAPITAL. This image is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International License - www.creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0 BY SA CREDIT FOR SMALL BUSINESSES