People Who Don't Know What They're Doing At Work Usually Say 8 Things In Order To Sound Smart
Altansukh E | UnsplashIn today’s world, the desire to sound intelligent often leads people to use complex phrases or jargon that may not necessarily add value to a conversation. While these expressions may appear sophisticated, they're usually nothing more than filler words.
In fact, there are several phrases people tend to say just to sound smart but that actually make no sense. Many of these phrases are used to give the illusion of expertise or insight, but when examined more closely, they're actually totally hollow.
People who don't know what they're doing at work say these 8 things to sound smarter:
1. 'Let’s unpack this'
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This phrase is often used in conversations where someone wants to dive deeper into something, but it's become so cliché that it no longer really means this. In essence, it means, "let's pretend to dig into the root causes of something but not actually do anything about it."
They may look at how the problems developed or who played a hand in the problem, but they rarely do anything after saying "let's unpack this" to actually find solutions or stop the problem from happening again. That's why, if you want to be taken seriously at work, you should avoid this phrase and say something more specific like "I'd like to figure out how this problem started so we can come up with a specific way to prevent it from happening again."
2. 'We're moving the goalposts'
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Often used to imply shifting criteria, this is usually said in such a way that it sounds clever, even when it’s not providing any meaningful context. This metaphor originates from sports, where a goalpost is the target you aim for, and moving it would make scoring more difficult and undermine the integrity of the game itself.
Sometimes people use the phrase out of context, even when no one is actually altering the criteria. At other times people say it when they feel like they’re losing an argument or don’t want to address the specifics of what’s being discussed, throwing the phrase out to deflect or confuse.
Kyle D. Killian Ph.D., LMFT, states that people do this to minimize the discomfort, so that they can change their preferences to align more closely with their actions. This makes people fickle enough to shift their principles and preferences so easily or worse not even try to do better as they stay in a victim mentality, where they will never succeed in the system.
Instead of talking about goalposts, try being specific by saying something like, "Let's focus on this one aspect of the conversation today. If we want to add any other goals or topics, let's set aside time later to address them specifically."
3. 'In theory, this should work'
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This phrase is often used when someone doesn’t have enough evidence or a plan to make something work in practice. It can also be used to soften the idea of a failure for a plan that looks perfect on paper, but will probably fall through at some point.
Tad Waddington Ph.D. states that it is not enough to know that a thing works, you should understand how and why it works. Sometimes people use in theory as a way to cover up the fact that they don’t have a solid, fully developed idea. In some cases, the person saying this hasn't fully thought through how to implement the idea, or they are glossing over the complexities that could cause it to fail.
4. 'Let’s table this discussion'
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Often used to avoid addressing an uncomfortable or difficult topic, this can sound smart in meetings but usually just postpones the inevitable.
Especially during workplace meetings, when a supervisor says this to one of their employees it can have some dire consequences. It may make the employee feel as if their ideas or suggestions are not being heard.
Instead of suggesting that a discussion be tabled, competent employees say something more specific, like "I'd like to set aside some time at the end of this meeting to discuss that aspect, but for now, let's keep focusing on what we came here to discuss."
5. 'We're pushing the envelope'
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This is a vague term that suggests pushing boundaries, but often without a clear sense of what those boundaries are or how they're being pushed.
The phrase might be thrown around too much as a catchphrase without any real depth behind it because people and organizations that are actually doing something unprecedented or bold rarely use such clichéd phrases. Instead, they'll be specific about what they're doing differently.
If someone uses the phrase to describe something very mundane or ordinary, it may sound out of place. For example, saying "Let’s push the envelope and shoot for higher goals" this month is just another way to say "We want people to take on more work, but we're not going to say it directly."
6. 'It’s a no-brainer'
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This phrase implies something is obvious, but it can often oversimplify complex issues and disregard nuance. For example, if someone says "It’s a no-brainer to invest in this new project", they may be trying to make it seem less risky or get people to overlook that it's not very well thought-out.
Calling something a no-brainer can also be a way to dismiss other opinions or downplay complexities, but if used inappropriately, it can seem dismissive or unconvincing. It's almost like saying, "Sorry you're not smart to see how obvious my point is" which can keep others from speaking up against a bad idea.
7. 'Think long-term'
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This sounds wise, but it’s often thrown out without any specific plan for how to actually achieve long-term success. The idea is to look beyond immediate gains or short-term outcomes and focus on sustainable, long-lasting results.
But who isn't already doing that in the workplace, especially when they're in leadership?
If someone says "we need to think about this long-term" without being more specific, it just sounds like they're saying nothing. It's even worse in a situation where the decision is inherently about short-term gains. Then they just sound silly.
Sometimes people say this phrase to distract from dealing with current issues, like the fact that the company is losing money or employees. It just doesn't look good.
8. 'We need to disrupt the status quo'
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OK, but what does this actually mean? If you hear it in a meeting you probably wonder if the person speaking even knows.
Disrupting the status quo is often used as a slogan for change, but sometimes the disruption isn't actually needed and the thing being proposed doesn't change anything. Worse, if someone calls for disruption in a situation where stability is more important than innovation, it can feel out of place or even reckless.
"On the un-rational side, sometimes decisions are risky and involve some chance of loss and regret," says Jeremy Nicholson M.S.W., Ph.D. So, yes, there are times when boundaries need to be pushed as far as goals. However, it takes a lot more than something like a new marketing campaign to truly disrupt a system that everyone sees as the standard.
True status quo disruption happens extremely rarely, and you'd sound a lot smarter at work if you just said, specifically, what thing you'd like to do differently. Then people would know you've got a plan, at the very least.
Sylvia Ojeda is an author who has over a decade of experience writing novels and screenplays. She covers self-help, relationships, culture, and human interest topics.
