Warning! If You’re Using These 5 Words, You’re Killing Your Executive Presence!
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Remember that time when you were at a business meeting and it took an awkward turn? There was congenial conversation—then all of a sudden you or someone else said something unprofessional that killed the flow of the discussion. The conversation went from congenial to awkward. The point is, how we communicate is a reflection of our personal brand and executive presence.



Let’s look at some “brand busters” that can rot an otherwise fruitful conversation. Here are five words and phrases to delete now!



1. Honey/Hun: Save these way too friendly words for informal conversations with people who are dear to you. The same goes for “girl,” “dude”, or “boy.” Honey is what you spread on toast and hun is a warrior who followed Attila. These words tarnish your professional image at a time when you could have been shining.



2. Doncha, Gunna, Howjado: These are not words, rather they are a part of our “laid back” communication that can easily cross over into business if you don’t pay close attention. Instead, enrich your vocabulary with meaningful words. With practice you can recognize habits that need to be ditched and communicate more professionally. And on that note, keep foul language at bay—no matter how angry you are, there’s never an excuse for “bathroom talk.”



3. You know what I mean?: Being proficient in articulating your thoughts is a leadership competency to be mastered. Using phrases like “you know”, “see what I’m saying”, and “whatever”, are fillers. If those words are eliminated from a sentence, the thought has more substance—otherwise your message is diluted. For instance, instead of saying “the speaker today made great points about leadership styles, communication, and whatnot”— delete “and whatnot”. It’s just not necessary and adds nothing.



4. The word “I”: Do you know someone with “I” trouble? That means someone who converses most of the time talking about himself….”I did this, I won that, I, I, I.” That’s boring and prideful. Your conversations shouldn’t be all about you. It takes two to have a conversation, so make sure both people are talking, not just you. I recently had a scheduled meeting with a prospective client who kept me waiting for 30 minutes. Finally, when he showed up he reminded me how busy he was. Then he talked an hour and a half about himself without stopping (hardly breathing). Whether at a business meeting or socially, talking incessantly about yourself is just rude and shows a lack of interest in the other person.



5. Using the word like: Have any of your conversations been filled with “like, you know? I’m like, really? “For real, like seriously?” These are phrases I hear commonly used in casual conversations with family and friends. They’re so common that they are often embedded in everyday vocabulary and are a challenge to eliminate. These are the tips for today. My suggestion is to take notice of these and instead learn a new word every day that will add substance to your professional communication. Enrich your vocabulary and eliminate using these phrases even when speaking casually.