We’re being bombarded with advice on avoiding words and phrases that bore in the office—you know, sayings like ‘squaring the circle’ and ‘being dynamic’ and ‘having the bandwidth’. Easy to say, not so easy to do.
So, how do you come up with fresh words and phrases? Your reading materials are probably your main source of new language. What you read likely reflects your interests, so it can be truly relevant to what you want to say as a writer, and how you say it. But, if you’re not an avid reader, or your reading input doesn’t match your writing output, try the lingo of other sectors.
A chef’s view of the world is a great example. You can ‘slice’ into the problem, ‘pare back’ the complexities, ‘freeze’ customer trends and ‘whip up’ stakeholder engagement.
You can borrow adjectives from a farmer (‘fertile’ markets, ‘harvest’ patch, ‘cultivated’ approach) and verbs from a doctor (‘incise’, ‘chart’, ‘suture’). Just be sure the expression translates cleanly and doesn’t sound contrived.