“Every science requires a special language because every science has its own ideas.” — Étienne Bonnot de Condillac,1782.

Buzzwords are terms regularly used in business to gain attention, boost morale, and describe cultural and social situations. 

Some buzzwords are mainly used between coworkers and business partners, while others are used —especially in marketing, sales, and service— to appeal to customers.

Being able to correctly use buzzwords can help you engage with coworkers and customers, giving you an aura of being cooler if you use the right terminology in the proper context.

Deep dive: is a more thorough version of brainstorming. When a manager requests a deep dive into a topic, they are asking for a detailed review of all possible ideas based on that topic.

Core competency: a defining capability or advantage that distinguishes an enterprise from its competitors. They can also describe the particular qualifications of a job applicant.

Hyperlocal: relating to or focusing on matters concerning a small community or geographical area. ​Businesses use the word hyperlocal to encourage their employees to stay focused on a particular market.

Freemium: a combination of the words “free” and “premium,” represents a business model in which a company offers basic features to users at no cost and charges a premium for supplemental or advanced features.

Thought leader: an expert on a particular subject whose ideas and opinions influence other people, especially in business.

Synergy: the collaboration of two or more people on a project or situation, in which the outcome would be better than if the two people had worked independently of each other.

Unpack: researching every aspect of a subject in detail. 

Ping or ping me: to send a quick, short message over a texting platform (SMS, Instant Messenger, Chat) used to check-in, keep someone in the loop about something, or ask about something, or alert coworkers of new information, with the expectation of a quick, short response from the receiving party.

Drill down: describes the process of finding the root causes of a problem. It is often used during a difficult problem-solving process to motivate employees.

Bandwidth: a new way of saying “how much we can get done.” People normally use this business jargon to indicate when there isn’t enough time.

Quick win: a project that is easy to complete or a sale that is easy to make; something that can be accomplished that doesn’t require a lot of resources or work but could have a high impact on your business.

Next-generation: used to describe a product that has been developed using the latest technology and will probably replace an existing product.

Quota: a target that sales reps try to reach over a certain period of time, often on a monthly or quarterly basis. A quota can be measured in both dollar amounts or in the number of deals closed.

Value-added: apply to instances when a firm takes a product that may be considered homogeneous—with few differences from that of a competitor, if any—and provides potential customers with a feature or add-on that gives it a greater perception of value.

Disruptor/Disruptive: it’s a game-changer, a unique product or service whose innovation throws the status quo off-kilter; a company that changes the traditional way an industry operates, especially in a new and effective way.

Wheelhouse: is used to describing a person’s or company’s specialty, or an area that matches a person’s skills or expertise

Ecosystem: refers to people and organizations actively working toward similar goals in the same space, be that a building, a town, or an overarching concept that draws them together.

Ballpark: refers to an approximately proper range, as of possibilities or alternatives. Indicating that something is within the right ballpark tells others that they are taking useful steps toward a certain goal for a project.

WEEKLY VOCABULARY 🗣

Meaning: what is meant by a word, text, concept, or action.

Informal: having a relaxed, friendly, or unofficial style, manner, or nature.

Slang: a type of language that consists of words and phrases that are regarded as very informal, are more common in speech than writing, and are typically restricted to a particular context or group of people.

Make-believe: the action of pretending or imagining that things are better than they really are.

Short-lived: lasting only a short time.

PHRASAL VERBS ✍

Try something out

“I am going to try this new brand of eco-friendly soap out.”

Talk around

“He talked them around to accept his point of view.”

Make out

“I couldn’t make out what he was saying.”

Speak for oneself

“I’m here speaking for myself, not for my company.”

Cook up

“Nelson is always cooking up some weird scheme that was going to earn him a fortune.”

IDIOMS 📒

Think outside the box: think in an original or creative way.

Open the kimono: to disclose information about the inner workings of a company.

Move the needle: when employers are encouraging their team to make a big change to influence their industry. People who move the needle are seen as influential within a business or community.

Rock the boat: do something that might upset somebody/something, cause problems, or change the balance of a situation in some way. (Often in a negative sense.)

Drinking the Kool-Aid: is most often tied to someone’s blind devotion to a purpose or a cause; refers to someone who believes what is being told to the public by the mass media or government officials without investigating whether it is true or not.

The expression comes from the infamous mass suicide at the People’s Temple under the leadership of Jim Jones in 1978.  Kool-Aid is a brand of a powdered soft-drink mix. On this fateful day, Reverend Jones convinced his followers to drink Kool-Aid laced with poison in order to prevent members from leaving the cult. 

Want to practice with us on Saturday?…