15 Phrases You Should Start Using to Sound More Professional

Once you've spent significant time in the workplace, you'll start to pick up the lingo. It's as if everyone speaks a different language, filled with clichés and niceties.

Whether you're interviewing for your first job or hoping to move up the career ladder in your current position, there are a few phrases you can use to help. These 15 phrases can help establish you as a positive force in any office environment.

"Let's touch base."

This statement is vague enough to allow the other person to decide whether you'll convene through email, by phone, or in person.

"Our state-of-the-art technology."

Whatever your business offers, chances are you want to position it as innovative and one of a kind. The term "state of the art" expresses this perfectly.

"I appreciate your attention to this matter"

"Thank you" feels stale and perfunctory. "I appreciate your attention to this matter" seems warmer. The phrase may be too formal for everyday speech, but it's a perfect way to end emails.

"Should you have questions, please feel free to contact me"

When you end conversations and emails with this sentence, it leaves the lines of communication open.

"I look forward to hearing from you soon."

Whether you're contacting a potential lead or asking a colleague to get together to brainstorm ideas, this is the perfect way to end the request.

"Once I complete my current task, I'll be happy to take a look at that."

When you're in the middle of an assignment and someone approaches you, "I'm too busy" can ruffle feathers. Instead consider this terminology, which gives you the extra time you need to complete your current work.

"At your earliest convenience."

When you're asking someone to respond or set time aside to help out, it's important to show respect for that person's schedule. These four words will let the person know you don't expect him or her to drop everything and attend to your request.

"I understand."

Customer service representatives everywhere have learned the benefit of showing empathy for customers. This same approach can be applied to every business interaction, especially if the other person is expressing discontent.

"Let me look into that."

The words "I don't know" should be erased from your vocabulary. Instead, when you're asked a question, buy yourself extra time to get the answers the person needs with these five words.

"This is a great opportunity."

When presenting your products, it's important to frame the pitch in a way that shows the other person how it will make his life better.

"Get the ball rolling."

"Let's get the ball rolling" has become a popular alternative to "Let's get started" in business. It creates a strong, positive visual that motivates people to produce.

"It's a win-win."

Every situation should be positioned in a way that shows it's beneficial to everyone. Look for those "win-win" situations and pitch them to colleagues, associates, and potential clients as such.

"At the end of the day."

This term is generally used as a way to summarize things, cutting straight to the point. It has become popular both in sales and in business meetings.

"We'll need to manage expectations."

There are only so many things a professional can control, especially when it comes to customer response. Managing expectations is a way to avoid miscommunications about a product throughout its development lifecycle.

"Move the needle."

This popular sales and marketing term demonstrates the importance of investing your efforts in the things that will make the biggest impact.

You don't have to be a linguistic expert to navigate the business world today. Work some of these phrases into your everyday conversations and they'll soon become habit.

Source:

Inc

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