We all sit in meetings discussing topics of different interests and so often it is hard to keep awake and focused on what is actually going on. A lot of times I start watching others in the room and reading their body language as they struggle with the same issues. This can be a fun exercise, but remember to keep one eye and ear on what is happening so you don’t lose contact and be unable to answer a question that may come your way.

But my pet hate are those little phrases that come up all the time from people who think they are smarter just because they have found a way to work them into a question or sentence they spent hours constructing. Here are some of them. Which are yours?

  • At the end of the day
  • Back to the drawing board
  • Hit the ground running
  • Get the ball rolling
  • Low-hanging fruit
  • Throw under the bus
  • Think outside the box
  • Let’s touch base
  • Get my manager’s blessing
  • It’s on my radar
  • Ping me
  • I don’t have the bandwidth
  • No brainer
  • Par for the course
  • Bang for your buck
  • Synergy
  • Move the goal post
  • Apples to apples
  • Win-win
  • Circle back around
  • All hands on deck
  • Take this offline
  • Drill-down
  • Elephant in the room
  • On my plate