Top 5 annoying jargon for Private Equity

When reading a business plan, I concede that jargon words are used to simplify complex businesses. "Platform" or "solution" or  "best of breed" are common, but there are so many I hear on a daily basis that make me cringe - at the end of the day, we are all in this together. Let’s collectively pull on the rope, see if we can stretch the envelope, reach a higher plain, chase our dreams, grasp the nettle and take a bird’s eye view of our collective responsibilities. Let’s reach for the stars and remember there are no problems there are only opportunities, another day another opportunity. If we outsource and offshore nothing is beyond our grasp, pick the low hanging fruit, seize the moment and if you have to ask where we are going you aren't there yet - we definitely need a road map.

Here, we list the 5 words and phrases these executives would outlaw:

1. Reaching out

– Michael De Pencier, managing director, Investico

2. Downsizing

– John Loewen, private equity financier, Loewen and Partners

3. Underlying

– Martin McCourt, chief executive, Dyson

4. "Run this up the flagpole and see who salutes."

– Cathy Turner, group HR director, BMO

5. "Soft skills."

– Sandra Porter, HR director, Starbucks

A professional writer has a few words of his own that he sees as lazy. Maybe, this non-business writer can even give you a fresh perspective on your Twitter writing:

Words are the lifeblood of your writing. They’re what you use to build credibility or diminish it. Words matter. They’re what make your arguments more compelling, your prose stronger, and your craft more captivating. Untrained writers can be careless with their words. It takes discipline to use these tools well.

“Stuff” Stuff is a lazy word. Only use it sparingly when you’re intentionally trying to be informal. Instead, use a more descriptive noun.

“Things” Things is another lazy word. People often overuse it. While not always inappropriate, it also should be used on rare occasions.
Things is nondescript and can often be replaced with much better nouns, such as “reasons” or “elements” or “issues” and so on… 

“Got” Got is a terrible verb. It mean obtaining something or as a helping verb like have. More often than not, got can usually go away.
Instead of saying “I got up”, say “I woke up.”
Instead of saying, “I got a baseball”, say, “I have a baseball”.

Read more writing tips by Jeff Goins here: