Last week, we explored “pre-tape”
This week’s CBC-phrase (a phrase or word which is totally overused at the CBC) is:
“moving forward”
or
“going forward”
In all cases, either of these phrases are redundant. No, really.
Next time you hear someone tack this phrase onto the end of a sentence, think about it and you’ll realize you don’t even need to say it. It’s one of those CorpSpeak phrases that are redundant, but people believe they’ll sound smart if they add it.
I once attended a CBC meeting in which someone asked this question:
“So, with respect to the programming, should we
redevelop, moving forward, or connect
on the platform re: development priorities?”
(Seriously. I have it on tape.)
My answer was: “Uh… what exactly are you asking?”
I’m not sure if the Niagara Institute, to which many CBC executives are sent, has its own dictionary, but this one is silly.
Then again, that’s just what I think. What do you think?
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| Email this | Posted at 11:24 pm (18 Oct 2007) |
I can’t tell from the context what this could mean, so I guess I’m doubly glad I’m not with the Ceeb. Did the person actually SAY “re”? That’s a very, very bad sign that he needs to get out of the office and talk to real people.
“Moving forward” is Pompous-Talk in many offices and is used to mean “from now on”. You can almost always replace it with something a normal person would say.
it’s not redundant, it’s simply EMPTY. Like much of the management speak around the corp. (”revisioning” is another bad one).
frankly the more obscurantist management talk there is, the more likely a company is in trouble.
My least favourite cbc term is “product” (”rebranding” is a close second). I work on a program, not a product. I am not a factory worker.
Amen and halleluia!
Anyone else notice that “writing something down” has become “capturing”?
And “doing something” is now “actioning”?
Actioning?
Never mind the “re”, there are people around here who manage to pronounce the colon.
I’ve caught myself saying “moving forward” a couple of times over the past year - whenever I do I immediately punch myself. It gets some funny looks but it works. Maybe we should expand the program.
Oh nancy.
Producer. Look up the word origins, nitpicker.
You make things. Call it what you want, but less angst about the title and more content, k?
Sheesh.
Teh wrd “notwithstanding” sems bettur somhowz
kthxbai
You certainly like to direct how other people should talk. This is the second time I’ve noticed you going off on this irrelevant complaint.
Have you thought about your own repetitive use of the terms “no, really” and “seriously”.
Are you able to communicate without resorting to these devices?
Speaking of content-free phrases, how about “go ahead and”, as in “why don’t you go ahead and send me that email.” That one is even more useless!
I think these phrases have infected workplaces everywhere, not just the CBC.
if you like “product”, fine. I don’t care for it myself.
I find it betrays a particular attitude towards programming on the part of management (so too, by the way, does the word “content”: as if making empty vessels were somehow a big part of the job).
I’ve been at the corp for 18 years - not once have I heard anyone in management ask things like “how can we do better programming?” or “how can we improve what we’re doing?” or even “what makes great radio/TV”? But I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had to endure clap-trap talk like “how can we re-brand our services?”, or “how can we expand into a new platform?”
We’re a communications company that’s bad at communicating with our own employees.
And what’s more, who evens buys into this kind of talk? Does anyone take this sort of thing seriously? I think they’re being bamboozled.
The hell? That’s not redundant. You’re moving and the direction is forward, they are two different thoughts and words. And trust me it’s not that weird of a phrase around here cause it’s not like we are all moving forward by default, there’s a lot of things that seem to be moving backwards in this place.
You want redundant, trying being a technician in this place, than you’ll see redundant…lots of redundancies for sure!
I’ve been proactively re-deploying my intellectual asset-base to counterdevelop any awareness of the re-branding of our corporate linguistic paradigm….
In human-cpeak…I really, really do try to avoid PowerPointPeople and their forked tongue. I guess my GPS just can’t read their mind-map.
But I actually do appreciate the use of the word “product” in a job where we aren’t shipping out anything off an assembly line (CD’s excepted). “Product” reminds me that our business is creating “fine quality programming (ahem)”
and not…..
Advertising, making spreadsheets, re-building yet another “ideas-room-which-thou-shalt-require-a-booking”,financial billing software, lucid Corporate email, unintelligible corporate email, self-indulgent (wanker)corporate email, PowerPointPowerPointPowerPoint, fixing computers, purchase orders,gimme-your-cost-centre, I need a door opened, We don’t do that/I can’t do that/can we do that? Relocations-location-location. Billboards, Union-Management kaffeklatsches, Weekly-Daily-Monthly-hourly reports. Is it here yet? Is it done yet? Where is my data? what backup? I’m on my lunch.
…That’s all work, but the product is out there, in the ether.
Speaking of which…what’s with the network lately? Who can I email?
My favourite is:
“Can we discuss this offline?”
I believe the English translation is roughly:
“Let’s talk later.”
wow,
…this sure gives one some insight as to why its so hard to get anyting done at the CBC.
if only all of this concern over dialects could be chaneled into more poetic and compelling programming, or heaven forbid, “product”…
and since when did we forget that language is shaped by poets? language continues to be one of the few realms were the power of the poetic trumps other forms of power. so if the management-minded corporatists are winning the language game, they are the better poets. if we want better language, we need to create the more compelling poetry, full stop. so speak with passion, witt and creativity - and please spare us the nonsense about ‘normal person speak’. since when did language remain static? never thank god! and while we’re at it maybe we can judge our own sucess by the degreee to which we shape the language of our canadian audience. maybe then we can actually help save this country from the global bog of de-literate digitized mediocrity.
holy hell. Without meaning to be too rude, this is the sort of puffed-up talk that dumb people use to make themselves look smart.
Meanwhile the rest of us go off in our own corners, or better yet, find somewhere else to work.
This isn’t just a CBC problem. I work in the private sector for a major company and hear this kind of jargon and newspeak all the time. One of my VPs laces his talks with it whenever he doesn’t want to do anything but wants to make it look like he’s being proactive. His underlines give each other knowing looks.
anyone else creeped out why the ‘managers as poets’ comment?
eeech.