Communication is a powerful tool that can build or break your professional image. While using the right words and tone can accelerate your career, using unprofessional words can spoil your impression at work. Wondering if you use such words without knowledge?
Don’t worry. Here is a simple list of words that you should avoid during professional conversations and written correspondence.
1. Just
“Just wanted to let you know”, this sentence sounds innocent, but every time you use “just” before a sentence you are lowering the urgency level and the impact of your sentence(s) get minimized.
2. Try/Hopefully
Try and hopefully make a sentence sound insincere. “I will try to get it done by Thursday” leaves the listener feeling doubtful about your ability. Instead, you should say “I will do it by Friday”. Certainty is a virtue to your personality and will make you reliable and sincere.
3. I Think
“I think”: These two most commonly used words can be the quickest route to undermine yourself. It tells people that you are yourself not sure of what you are about to say. You need to stand with your opinions and reflect confidence. If your ideas are not fully formed, take some time to build them.
4. Literally/Actually/Honestly/Really
“Literally”, “actually”, “honestly” and “really” are just filler words. It is best (in most cases) to remove these words from official sentences to avoid sounding hollow.
5. Like
“I was like..shocked by his performance” “It happened ..like swiftly” Often people add “like” unnecessarily in every other sentence to express anything. “Like” builds interest of the listener but when you come out with simple words nextly, it instantly turns off the listener.
6. Maybe
Indecisiveness is not loved by anyone, whether someone is asking you if it will rain, or if someone is asking you if a candidate is good enough to be hired. Using “maybe” shows your indecisiveness and puts a question on your decision-making skills. Drop-off this word to appear confident & decisive.
7. Always/Never
Nothing is certain in an office, so talking in absolutes should always be avoided. Two words that reflect absoluteness are “always” and “never.” You should try to avoid these words and this will help in showing your flexibility and adaptiveness.
You should always speak elegantly and choose your words carefully because a single word can be a reason for someone to move towards or away from you. If you are looking for a new job or want to build your professional image, explore the apna app. With over 3,00,000+ vacancies in over 65 categories, you can schedule your interview by directly calling the HR.
You can also develop your professional network and learn new skills through the networking community groups on apna.
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