Expunge These 2 Phrases From Your Vocabulary And Shine

Your language shapes the way you approach your goals.

A Stanford professor says eliminating 2 phrases from your vocabulary can make you more successful

The way you speak not only affects how others perceive you; it also has the potential to shape your behavior.

Swapping one word for another could make all the difference in how you approach your goals.

That's according to Bernard Roth, a professor of engineering at Stanford and the academic director of Stanford's Hasso Plattner Institute of Design, the d.school.

In his new book, "The Achievement Habit," Roth suggests several linguistic tweaks that can make you more successful. Here are two of the easiest:

1. Swap 'but' for 'and'

You might be tempted to say, "I want to go to the movies, but I have work to do."

Instead, Roth suggests saying, "I want to go to the movies, and I have work to do."

He writes: "When you use the word but, you create a conflict (and sometimes a reason) for yourself that does not really exist." In other words, it's possible to go to the movies as well as do your work — you just need to find a solution.

Meanwhile, when you use the word and, "your brain gets to consider how it can deal with both parts of the sentence," Roth writes. Maybe you'll see a shorter movie; maybe you'll delegate some of your work.

2. Swap 'have to' for 'want to'

Roth recommends a simple exercise: The next few times you say "I have to" in your mind, change have to want.

"This exercise is very effective in getting people to realize that what they do in their lives — even the things they find unpleasant — are in fact what they have chosen," he says.

For example, one of Roth's students felt he had to take the math courses required for his graduate program, even though he hated them. At some point after completing the exercise, he realized that he really did want to take the classes because the benefit of completing the requirement outweighed the discomfort of sitting through classes he didn't enjoy.

Both of these tweaks are based on a key component of a problem-solving strategy called "design thinking." When you employ this strategy, you try to challenge your automatic thinking and see things as they really are.

And when you experiment with different language, you may realize that a problem isn't as unsolvable as it seems, and that you have more control over your life than you previously believed.

Source:     Eliminate These 2 Phrases And Be Successful

As 2016 Unfolds - These Words/Phrases Are A No No!!!!

8 Phrases You Really Need to Stop Saying in 2016

Want to upgrade your communication skills for the New Year? Then stop using these sloppy, dull, or simply played-out words and phrases.

Right around now, many people aim to improve their health or their career in the coming year, but if you're looking for a more unusual (and possibly more achievable) New Year's resolution, how about this: Tune up your speaking and writing in 2016.

We're all guilty of overusing some phrases, indulging in jargon, or simply getting sloppy about how we communicate sometimes.

Why not use the end of the year as motivation to clean up your vocabulary?

After all, in the age of the text message-length missive, the ability to write well is more valuable (and perhaps rarer) than ever.

Over on the blog The Freelancer, Nicholas Pell has some great suggestions for played-out or straight-up annoying words and phrases that you should jettison in 2016.

Here are a few of the 15 he mentions:

1. "It's [the current year]."

"Pointing to a calendar doesn't actually explain anything," Pell sensibly points out. "Some readers might nod and pat themselves on the back in agreement, but anyone not on board will scratch their head in confusion or assume you are a lazy writer. Explain the merits of a position or don't bring it up at all."

2. "Amazing."

What could possibly be the problem with 'amazing'? "Amazing isn't a bad word, but it's become the national crutch for anything that's really very super awesome or really, really good ... Sadly, it's worn out its welcome, and you should use any other word you can find," says the post.

3. "Literally."

Pell's comment on this is brief but definitive: "Literally never." As a side note, he's not the only one who lists "literally" among the top language pet peeves.

4. "Little did I know."

Pell's complaint with this phrase is that it is both pompous and overused. "Approximately 90 percent or so of the 'think pieces' (a phrase I am only not banishing so that I may use it as a source of derision) running in 2015 hinged upon some 'little did I know' moment that wraps everything up into a neat little lesson. It's almost the equivalent of 'I think,' followed by the writer's opinion," he writes.

5. "Leverage."

Business people are often taken to task for using jargon when plain English will do. "Leverage" is one common offender: "Of all the worn-out business jargon floating around, this has to be the worst. When leverage gets used as a verb, I immediately know I'm reading something not written for me. People writing B2B content might still find use for this worn old war horse; everyone else should drop it in favor of a clearer word."

6. "For all intents and purposes."

"Five words that introduce a statement that would probably stand on its own just fine," claims Pell.

7. "Rock star," "guru," "ninja," and "Jedi."

This one is bound to be controversial, but Pell has no time for the current trend for whimsical job titles. "There's nothing about your command of Python, PhotoShop, PowerPoint, search engine optimization, content marketing, or copywriting that makes you even remotely like any of these. You do your thing, and leave the rock stars, gurus, ninjas, and Jedis of the world to do theirs," he complains. Do you agree?

8. "Next level."

What does this phrase even mean? asks Pell. "So something is next level? Why? How? Who says so? Tell me something about your product, what it does, why I want it, and how it's going to make my life better."

Pell's list might be entertaining, but he's hardly the only resource out there if you're looking for ideas on how to improve your use of the English language next year.

A Harvard linguist recently came out with a monster list of commonly misused words, my Inc.com colleague Minda Zetlin has helpfully rounded up 37 words that will make you more persuasive, and entrepreneur Ryan Robinson has compiled a list of 11 words successful people never use.

What word or phrase do you hope everyone stops using in 2016?

Source:     8 Phrases You Really Need To Stop Saying In 2016

25 Ridiculous Phrases To Stop Using At Work

Please Stop Saying These 25 Ridiculous Phrases at Work

By:     Travis Bradberry

These days, workplace conversations can sound like they're taking place on another planet.

At first, euphemisms surfaced in the workplace to help people deal with touchy subjects that were difficult to talk about.

Before long, they morphed into corporate buzzwords that expanded and took over our vocabulary until our everyday conversations started sounding like they were taking place on another planet:

Listen Ray, I don't have the bandwidth for it with everything that's on my plate, but ping me anyway because at the end of the day it's on my radar and I don't want to be thrown under the bus because I didn't circle back around on this no-brainer.

I understand the temptation.

These catchphrases are spicy and they make you feel clever (low-hanging fruit is a crutch of mine), but they also annoy the hell out of people.

If you think that you can use these phrases without consequence, you're kidding yourself. Just pay close attention to how other people react to your using them, and you'll see that these phrases don't cast you in a favorable light.

After all, TalentSmart has tested the emotional intelligence of more than a million people and one of the biggest need areas for most people is social awareness.

Most of us are so focused on what we're saying and what we're going to say next that we lose sight of how our words affect other people.

So give this list a read, think of how often you use some of these words, and see if you can catch yourself before you use them again.

Have some fun with it, because at the end of the day if you don't hit the ground running you can always go back to the drawing board and get the ball rolling...

At the end of the day

Back to the drawing board

Hit the ground running

Get the ball rolling

Low-hanging fruit

Throw under the bus

Think outside the box

Let's touch base

Get my manager's blessing

It's on my radar

Ping me

I don't have the bandwidth

No brainer

Par for the course

Bang for your buck

Synergy

Move the goal post

Apples to apples

Win-win

Circle back around

All hands on deck

Take this offline

Drill-down

Elephant in the room

On my plate

What phrases are your pet peeves?

Please share them in the comments section below.

It'll also be fun to read the ridiculous sentences you can come up with using words from the list above (write them in the comments).

I'll send an autographed copy of my book to whoever comes up with the phrase that makes me laugh the hardest.

Because, after all, I learn just as much from you as you do from me.

http://www.inc.com/travis-bradberry/please-stop-saying-these-25-ridiculous-phrases-at-work.html