8 Conversational Habits That Kill Credibility

Dressing for success may create a good impression, but people judge your intelligence and credibility based upon what comes out of your mouth. Here are eight verbal habits that immediately mark you as somebody who’s either foolish or shifty:

1. Jargon

Jargon (aka “biz-blab”) consists of hijacking normal words and using them in odd ways to make them sound “businessy.” Example: “We’re reaching out to our customer advocates to leverage a dialogue on….” While others who speak fluent biz-blab might not take notice or care, everyone else cringes and rolls their eyes.

Fix: Use words as they’re defined in the dictionary. Example: “We’re contacting our customers to discuss….” That way, you’ll sound more like a professional and less like a cartoon businessperson.

2. Clichés

These are those metaphors that have been used so frequently that all the juice has been leeched from them. Examples: “out-of-the-box thinking” or “hitting one out of the ballpark.” Clichés aren’t just unoriginal but also reveal a lack of respect for the listener. If you really cared, you wouldn’t trot out these creaky phrases.

Fix: Avoid metaphors completely or use original ones. If that’s too hard, tweak the wording of clichés to make them less cliché-ish. Example: my use of “leeched” rather than “squeezed” in the paragraph above. Worst case, adding “proverbial” can refresh a cliché with a pinch of irony. Example: “out of the proverbial ballpark.”

3. Prolixity

Using big, impressive sounding words rather than smaller, common ones can leave listeners with the impression that you’re pompous and pretentious. Examples: “assess strategic options and tactical approaches” (i.e. “plan”) or “implement communications infrastructure” (i.e. “add wireless”). Fancy-schmancy wording adds bulk and extracts clarity.

For more info, go to inc.com