10 Comments
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Ryan Peterman's avatar

This is a great post Wes. Love how clear the examples you provided are. They show the subtle effects different word choices can make and what they subcommunicate.

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Wes Kao's avatar

Thank you so much, Ryan. Hope you’re well!

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MC's avatar

Nice picks.

I agree with most of them, except the use of "however" and "truly" (occasionally). I find them to be better options than their over-inflated alternatives!

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Amy Ford's avatar

Wes! I remember reading this when you first published it and eliminating "just", "very" and "really" have stuck with me ever since. I also try to stick to the positive framing (i.e., the use of the can option instead of the can't option). Thanks, as always, from a long time reader and altMBA'er (cohort 6).

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Vincent Tong's avatar

I've been consciously deleting "just" from my vocab and it's a really good habit!

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Martha Essien's avatar

Number 7 “just”

I sometimes pause to take it out, so yeah this is a good reminder 😁

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Gus's avatar

I feel seen. This is the most deleted word on any of my devices!

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Joanna's avatar

After your last newsletter, I dropped 'but' and replaced with 'however'. Now I've got a whole new list to work through! Thanks, great article and very helpful.

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Michelle Elisabeth Varghese's avatar

I’m so guilty of using double negatives, even in my speech, despite being such a positive person. This is a good list with some unique phrases I haven’t seen before.

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Ved Shankar's avatar

"no problem" is my go-to, but it makes sense.

One question: I know this is for writing, but I think these communication habits also show up when speaking.

Do you have any advice/piece for practicing to polish these habits out?

(A common filler can be "umm" but I think this list can also show up in our speech)

Think pausing and being present while talking are some ways.

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