5 Common Words to Eliminate from Your Vocabulary
Online students communicate in a variety of ways on a daily basis: in school; at work; at home; with friends and family; during presentations. In most of these instances, it's important to convey an easily digestible message to the audience for maximum impact.
Clearer communication can lead to more effective and efficient conversation, which usually leads to better results.
Check out this helpful post by one of our bloggers, Lindsey Leesmann, on specific ways to hone your communication skills. Today's article on eliminating common words from your vocabulary is somewhat of a continuation of Lindsey's previous post.
Of course, no one is perfect, and we are bound to say some of these words. Our initial goal, then, should be to work on limiting the amount of times we say them in conversation. In fact, Valentine's Day is today - a perfect day to start focusing on more efficient and improved communication.
Try eliminating these five words from your vocabulary:
1. Um
This word adds nothing to conversations and only prolongs the main point of the message.
For example: "So, um, here is the report you requested from our, um, client's February, um, files."
.....Ahhhh!
Everyone says this word, so don't fret if you're one of them. Work on limiting the amount of times you say it. One way to do this is to slow down the pace of your dialogue. Of course, don't lull people to sleep at a snail's pace, but you may find that it's easier to limit the "um's" this way.
2. Like
Facebook "Likes" are awesome. Conversation "likes" are not.
Utilizing this word too much could send a passive or uncertain message to the audience. It could also come across as lacking confidence. "Like" should not be used to fill pauses in conversation. Instead, pause for a moment to gather your thoughts.
3. Can't
This word is associated with complacency and a lack of effort. Your online instructors in school and managers at work don't want to hear that a task or project can't be done. In extenuating circumstances, an alternative course of action can be taken. When this happens, avoid using "can't" and provide the alternative. It's a much more active and effective method.
4. Never
Using this word in school and at work limits creative thinking that could produce new (and sometimes better) ideas. It's a closed-minded way of thinking and inhibits the growth of an individual, department, assignment or project.
5. Just
This is a very common word, but it typically marginalizes the impact of what we say next. Typically, using this word adds little to nothing to the heart of your message. When you use this word in emails, for instance, take it out and see if your message changes.
Can you think of other words to add to this list? We welcome more ideas! Post your thoughts in the comments section below.
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About the author: Eric Sorrentino joined Grantham University as Social Media Manager in October 2011. Prior to that, he blogged about Big 12 Conference athletics for KUsports.com and was a sports copy editor for the Lawrence Journal-World. Eric received his bachelor's degree in Journalism from the University of Kansas.