21 words and phrases adored by PR toolbags

You avoid it as much as possible, but there are some cases in meetings and emails in which substituting one word or phrase for an entire sentence is more efficient. Plus, there’s the dirty little secret that buzzwords are the parlance of managers, and if you want respect from the MBA crowd, you need to speak their language on occasion.

That doesn’t mean you have to like it. After all, how often do you pass a knowing glance to a fellow co-worker each time a manager drops a “socialize” or “wheelhouse”?

Often, the people who overuse these terms fall into the category of “PR toolbag.” Last week, we asked PR Daily readers to name the words and phrases that indicate whether someone with whom you work falls into this category. Here are 21 of those terms:

1. Outside the box. Although this phrase originally meant creative thinking, its overuse has twisted its definition to mean the exact opposite. As one PR Daily reader put it, those who use it should be put in a box—and kept there.