Managing Editor
If you haven’t used the term “at the end of the day,” what’s wrong with you?
Think you’re special?
You would be because it was the most-used cliche in the U.S. media during a 2006 study and continues to invade interviews, reports and commentary.
In the study, by a Dow Jones and Reuters venture, “at the end of the day” was used more than twice as often as the second and third most-used phrases, “in the black” and “in the red.”
In another study of jargon in 2008, marketer David Meerman Scott asked Dow Jones to analyze the use of 325 words among more than 700,000 news releases distributed by major news wires.
The top four were “innovative,” “pleased to,” “unique” and “focused on.”
Some of the words are fine, just overused. And the cliches aren’t all bad.
“As a speaker, writer and consultant and an avid Toastmaster, I must say, cliches are not my enemy,” said speaker, author and business owner Peggy Johnson. “Cliches have a way of summarizing an idea or a picture in a very concise way when selected carefully.”
Author and speaker Richard Hadden said most people can communicate effectively without cliches and overused terms if they would develop confidence in their own choice of words.
“Stop relying on the words of others,” he said. “Say what you mean, creatively, clearly, confidently.”
Hadden advised people to pay attention. “Whenever you hear or read a word or phrase and you think, ‘how cliche, that’s been overused,’ make a mental note to banish the expression from your lexicon. Throw out anything you hear that might make people roll their eyes.“
Author and speaker Snowden McFall said that discovering a fresh phrase can be fun. “I know how exciting it is to find a new way of phrasing something which inspires and intrigues an audience,” said McFall.
At the same time, it can confuse some audiences.
“Cliches are also often difficult for those from different cultures to understand. Many of my international friends have complained that they don’t understand our ‘expressions’ or ‘sayings,’ which include clichés,” she said.
Executive coach Barbara Tolliver-Haskins offers tips to people who want to avoid using jargon, cliches and overused words:
Think before speaking; use a thesaurus (there are several online); listen for certain words as you speak and note the times that you use them on any given day; seek a partner to remind you; when writing, circle words that you want to replace; if you are in an influential position, modify those words that seem to be stagnated within your organization’s culture; set a 30-day goal and celebrate your success; be intentional; and strive for authenticity.
In other words, keep your head up when you speak, but hold your feet to the fire to avoid jargon.
Top 20 Cliches
Factiva, a Dow Jones & Reuters venture, analyzed the the volume of use in the U.S. media for these cliches for a period in 2006. These were the most-used cliches.
1. At the end of the day
2. In the black
3. In the red
4. Level playing field
5. Time and again
6. About face
7. Wealth of experience
8. Split second
9. Time is running out
10. Outpouring of support
11. Last-ditch effort
12. Think outside the box
13. Time after time
14. Unsung heroes
15. Concerned residents
16. Low hanging fruit
17. Clean bill of health
18. Hot pursuit
19. Better late than never
20. Up the ante
Source: Dow Jones Reuters Business Interactive LLC, trading as Factiva
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