13 annoying verbs
If you want your corporate PR copy to sound bloated, stilted and riddled with jargon, sprinkle these terms throughout your writing.
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Maybe you overhear someone use them on the train or while you’re waiting in line to buy coffee. You might have seen them in an online pop-up ad that you can’t close fast enough. Perhaps your kids use them to purposefully annoy you.
Here are a few verbs that can drive corporate communicators crazy:
1. Conversate: Is there something wrong with using “talk” or “converse”?
Questionable: “Maybe we should try to conversate with Grayson instead of sending an email.”
Better: “Maybe we should talk to Grayson instead of sending an email.”
2. Endeavor: When used in corporate communications, “endeavor” can seem weak and unnecessary.
Questionable: “ At Noddles Company, we endeavor to meet our customers’ needs.”
Better: “At Noddles Company, we work hard to meet our customers’ needs.”
3. Empower: Forbes referred to this word as “most condescending transitive verb ever.”
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