10 Phrases to Drop From Your Vocabulary

10 Phrases to Drop From Your Vocabulary 10 Phrases to Drop From Your Vocabulary Researchers believe that the earliest spoken language was Mayan, which arose  around 7,000 years ago. Imagine, in 70 centuries, weve progressed to, and I was like,  really? Whether you are leading a team meeting, presenting to a prospective client, or delivering a keynote speech to a global audience, verbal mistakes will undermine  your credibility  and distract from your message. If you want to have  integrity  and  influence, consider dropping these phrases from your vocabulary: 1. Im Confused or I Dont  Get It Instead of putting all the responsibility on the other person, take co-ownership. Say, Help me understand your position, and remain open. 2. You Know What I Mean? and Does That Make Sense? Asking for constant validation chips away at your command. 3. I was like  or She was like The word like is an unsophisticated setup that gets in the way of your clarity and credibility. 4. Um, Ah, Uh, You Know Watch out for overuse of filler words. Practice pausing to counteract the clutter. 5. Ive Been Too Busy or I Started Writing an Email and Forgot to Send It Excuses are unattractive. Say, “ apologize for the inconvenience. You will have it by tomorrow. 6. Out-of-the-Box Thinking This phrase  should be retired. We cant escape all the buzzwords and buzzphrases, but ones like this have become boring through overuse. 7. You always Sweeping generalizations lack insight and get in the way of healthy dialogue. Be specific and avoid using vague blame tactics. 8. I Think We Should Kind of Do It This Way Tentative language waters down your presence as a  confident communicator. Make a solid recommendation and own it. 9. I Hate to Say This, but or  John Is a Good Person, but Dont try to disguise criticism with a layer of caring or say things that offer zero value. 10. Really? Its an all-purpose complaint that sounds like whining. Try making an interesting observation instead. If you want to have more credibility and influence, be, uh, like, you know, more intentional in your communication. Replace negative tones and lackluster words with positive tones and authentic,  appreciative words. Each new day is an opportunity to inspire greatness, so say something real. â€" A version of this article originally appeared on SUCCESS.com Lou Solomon  is the founder and CEO of Interact, a leadership communication consultancy that helps Fortune 500 companies (like Goodrich, Wells Fargo, and Duke Energy), CEOs, managers, entrepreneurs, and their teams be true to their authentic selves and advance in leadership.