10 business clichés that are actually valuable
Sometimes a phrase is used a lot because the imagery resonates. Here are some popular sayings you shouldn’t ditch. After all, why throw the baby out with the bathwater?
The Internet is filled with lists of clichés that make you sound stupid, but are all clichés bad?
In an interview with NPR, writer Hephzibah Anderson said, “The really good clichés are … the ones that are packed with color and wonderful images, even though we hear them so often, so frequently that we don’t pause to consider them. Things like the elephant in the room and throwing the baby out with the bathwater.”
Her point is that certain clichés are bad not because we say them a lot, but because they don’t add meaning. Clichés that do convey meaning and boost interest, however, are good.
So before we eliminate all popular phrases from our vocabularies, we ought to ask: Which clichés are still worth using? To help answer this question, here is a look at 10 business clichés that some would argue are valuable.
Consider the following:
Become a Ragan Insider member to read this article and all other archived content.
Sign up today
Already a member? Log in here.
Learn more about Ragan Insider.