"Could you interface with the marketing team on our new ad campaign, and then circle back with me? If we can leverage similar assets, we could have a game changer!"

How often do you hear talk like that in your workplace? If this sounds oddly familiar, your office could be infested with buzzwords. From fresh-faced interns to top management executives, everyone drops one of these glistening gems occasionally.

However, using too many buzzwords can lessen an individual's credibility as an independent, intelligent, creative thinker, and at worst, it can make you look like a wishy-washy wannabe. Certainly a good enough reason to steer clear of them in any job interview or new client meeting… But, despite the reputation, business jargon continues to proliferate. Commonly used office buzzwords quickly institute themselves into the company culture and become part of our daily lives, but are the messages always clear?

Business communication should always be clear and direct. Meetings should give attendees quick and useful information, not obscure the matter at hand behind trendy doublespeak. People shouldn't need a buzz-word dictionary to make sense of what others are saying. (By the way, one can be found at http://www.theofficelife.com/)

Something to think about… Anytime a buzzword or phrase starts making its way into your business vocabulary, you should imagine using it in a conversation with your spouse. If you are a little braver and your spouse has a good sense of humor, actually give it a real shot such as “Honey, I know you think I'm being a hard on little Bobby right now, and I'd love to deep dive that subject with you later.” If it sounds nonsensical in that context, you should promptly excise it from your brain and cruelly mock anyone else who uses it.

With that in mind, here are a list of my “favorite” buzzwords and phrases… I’ll let you decide which ones I actually use and which ones are for mocking.

“Low-hanging fruit”
“It’s not rocket science.”
“Let’s talk about that offline.”
“Eating your own dog food”
“Reach out…”
“The elevator pitch”
“Left-handed compliment”
“Drinking the Kool-Aid”
“Touch base”
“On the same page”