Oscar Bruce is a U.S.-based marketer who has written several books on effective language and conversation. I haven’t read his books, but I’ve been checking out his newsletters. And while some of it bothers me a bit (for one thing, he warns readers to ignore his spelling and grammar mistakes), some of his stuff is quite good.
Here, for instance, from his e-book WINNING WORDS & WINNING WAYS, are 23 words, phrases and clichés that seriously weaken your credibility and your message.
They are so habitual, says Bruce, that you may never notice them. But others do.
Statements to banish from your language:
Um
But
Like
Well
I'll try
Never
Always
Perhaps
Should
It's kind-of
Whatever
I'll have to
What you need to do is
I wish someone would
You ought to
It seems like
I'm not good at
Maybe we could
I'm wondering if
I might be able to
Sorry to bother you
I could be wrong , but
This is just a thought…
I agree with most of these, but I can think of a few more, too. How about:
“You must buy today…”
“Just between you and me”
“You can trust me”
and “Ignore my spelling and bad grammar. It’s what I mean that counts.”
If you want to suggest any more credibility-killers, please leave a comment.
1 comment:
My favorite: "I don't mean to be rude." This saying is used by a friend so consistently, she spends little time being anything but rude.
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