Write better
It is what it is.
It is what it is captured my attention the first three times I heard the phrase. Those three times might have been before 11 on a single workday. The only time the idiom grabbed me was when my nearly-4-year-old granddaughter was patiently explaining one of her daddy’s frustrating habits. When I asked why he behaved that way, she shrugged and said, aptly, “It is what it is.” Now, when I speak those words, I quote her.
A recent Accountemps survey cites iiwii as one of the most hackneyed terms in the workplace. It ranks with “at the end of the day,” a “disconnect” between people and “viral” phrases.
“When business or industry terms become overused, people stop paying attention to them,” says Max Messmer, chairman of Accountemps and author of Managing Your Career For Dummies. “The best communicators use clear and straightforward language that directly illustrates their points.” My 3 other favorites:
- Leverage: As in, “We intend to leverage our investment in infrastructure across multiple business units to drive profits.”
- Circle back: As in, “I’m heading out now, but I will circle back with you later.”
- Cutting edge: As in, “Our cutting-edge technology gives us a competitive advantage.”
Read more here.
Lesson to be learned: Choose other words instead of using clichés.
