People who use these 9 phrases don't get taken seriously—make these 'powerful' swaps, says communication expert
As a keynote speaker, LinkedIn Learning Instructor, and author of "Unforgettable Presence," I've taught dozens of Fortune 500 teams how to communicate with authority and confidence.
What I've found is that the most impactful perception changes come from transforming the small interactions you have every day, whether you're writing an email, speaking up in a meeting, or even messaging in Slack. How you choose to communicate in these moments plays a huge role in how others see you.
Here are nine everyday phrases that might be quietly working against you — and what to say instead if you want people to stop ignoring you and start taking you seriously.
If you're constantly prefacing your thoughts with "I think," you may be signaling doubt, even when you're confident.
Cut the preamble and make this powerful swap: Instead of "I think we should move forward with the new proposal," say "I recommend we move forward with the new proposal."
You can always soften the tone later. A recommendation doesn't necessarily have to be the right answer, but it shows that you have conviction, which leaders value.
This puts the burden of clarity on the listener and implies you're not confident in how you explained something.
You can leave the door open for questions without preemptively suggesting that your point didn't land. Try:
It's still open and collaborative — helpful without sounding unsure — and keeps you in a position of authority.
You've devalued your message before anyone's even read it. In most work settings, following up or making a request is part of the job, not an inconvenience.
Lead with purpose:
You might be trying to sound humble, but this phrase makes you sound unqualified. And if you an expert, you've undermined your own credibility.
If you want to show openness while still making your point, try:
These phrases still make you sound confident and add a little bit of wiggle room if you're not 100% sure.
When you're overly tentative, it makes your request or thought seem so unimportant that it's easy to ignore.
Plenty of people make requests of each other every day at work. If it helps you feel more comfortable, think of it as a necessary part of your job. Be direct (and kind):
The clearer you are, the easier it is for others to respond.
"Just" is one of the worst offenders. "Just wanted to add my two cents quickly." "Just following up." And so on. It minimizes your message and makes you sound hesitant, even when your ask is perfectly reasonable.
Again, be clear and direct. Try:
Dropping the "just" immediately strengthens your tone.
This phrasing signals a lack of commitment. When I hear it, I'm not sure if you're simply going to or if you're actually going to the task. Even if your intentions are good, it can make people question whether you'll follow through.
Replace it with action-oriented language. Try:
It sounds generous, but also puts you in danger of becoming the go-to person for random, low-impact tasks. You risk being overlooked for more meaningful projects or taken less seriously if you don't clearly articulate your strengths or preferences.
Don't be afraid to be intentional even as you're being generous. Try:
This is a quick way to undermine credibility and show a lack of confidence. If you have a question, someone probably also has the same one.
Go ahead and ask without the caveat. Try:
Be careful using negative language like this. You don't want your colleagues to hear the word "dumb" and subconsciously associate it with you!
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Are you being ‘quiet fired'? Here's how to spot the signs
You might not be fired outright — but your employer could be quietly pushing you out. Quiet firing isn't a myth; it's a real and common phenomenon. A 2025 HRTech survey of more than 1,000 U.S. managers revealed that 53% of employers admit to using quiet firing tactics, and nearly half of 20,000 people surveyed on LinkedIn in 2022 had seen it in action or experienced it themselves. Quiet firing is when an employer deliberately makes a job so unrewarding, isolating or stagnant that the employee feels pressured to quit, rather than being formally terminated. 'Quiet firing is not new; it's just getting more attention,' explains Edwin Aiwazian, the managing attorney at Lawyers for Justice. We spoke with six HR and career experts to break down the five most common signs of quiet firing and how to protect your career if it's happening to you. 5 clear signs of quiet firing Quiet firing might start as being excluded from meetings you were once a key member of, cutting responsibilities or stalling promotions with no explanation. 'You will have responsibilities pulled back, the support that may have been there disappears, your career growth will stall, and the hope is that you will eventually quit,' says Jason Walker, Psy.D., Ph.D., the program director and an associate professor of Industrial-Organizational and Applied Psychology at Adler University. Exclusion from meetings Suddenly uninvited from meetings you were once a key member of? This is one of the most common signs of quiet firing, and one many of our experts report as a serious red flag that you are being passively let go. This may be as obvious as being excluded from meetings, but you may also notice projects being carried out without you or abandoned communication threads that were previously active daily. 'It's avoidance masked as management,' Walker explains. Shifting responsibilities If your workload suddenly changes — whether you're overloaded with unrealistic goals or sidelined with meaningless projects — it could be a sign of quiet firing. 'Similar to bullying behaviors, you may be assigned unreasonable workloads or left with unclear expectations that feel like a setup,' says Walker. 'While this is a more aggressive form of quiet firing, it does happen.' Wende Smith, head of people operations at BambooHR, agrees: 'Shifting responsibilities isn't always a sign of quiet firing, but how your manager goes about it can be telling.' She says if you ask for the reason behind the shift and get vague or no answers, that's a red flag. Support diminishes A quieter tactic is pulling back on support. This diminished support may leave you feeling abandoned or alone, making it more challenging to complete your projects. 'It can feel like whiplash for the employee who is suddenly left with the weight of an unreasonable workload and feeling like they just can't hack it in their role,' says Smith. When that environment becomes unbearable, the employee leaves. Development stops Did your one-on-ones once discuss your future at the company, but are now quick and pointless? A pause or change in your career development is a clear sign of quiet firing. You may receive vague responses or no response at all when inquiring about career growth or promotion timelines. 'Your career growth comes to a standstill, and you are passed over for promotions and raises for no apparent reason,' says Walker. Sometimes, this can drag on for years. Policy-driven quiet firing Return to office (RTO) has been used as a form of quiet firing. As employees are expected to return to the office, many decide to leave the company instead. While many believe this was an unexpected result, it may have been more targeted than not. When looking into quiet firing, 'a troubling trend that our research uncovered is using RTO as a quiet-firing tactic.' The data that Smith's team at BambooHR uncovered showed that 37% of managers, directors and executives believe that layoffs occurred because fewer employees than expected quit during the RTO process, and 25% of VP and C-suite executives and 18% of HR professionals hoped for voluntary turnover during RTO. 'The danger here, like any other quiet firing trend, is that it can have a bad ripple effect, damaging morale and culture, which is key to retaining your top talent,' says Smith. Further research showed that nearly 45% of employees who have been through an RTO report losing valuable colleagues. Why quiet firing happens Quiet firing often stems from a desire to avoid costs and risks. 'It's either small in an attempt to weed out low performers or larger to avoid layoffs,' says Wende Smith. 'It's gained more prominence lately due to the rise in quiet quitting.' Avoiding formal termination also helps companies sidestep severance packages and legal risk. 'Because employers operate under increased legal and reputational scrutiny, they take the easy way and push employees out,' adds Arianny Mercedes, the founder of a career and workplace strategy firm Revamped. Remote and hybrid work have also made quiet firing easier to execute. Joe Galvin, the chief research officer at CEO peer network Vistage Worldwide, Inc., says, 'Managers can now avoid direct interaction with employees, making disengagement and subtle exclusion simpler to execute.' Without daily in-person contact, it's easier for employees to fade into the background. Not all quiet firing is malicious. Some managers simply lack the training or resources to have honest performance conversations. Mercedes notes that many leaders 'feel uncomfortable initiating honest conversations' and are unsure of the best way to address performance or strategic fit — so they default to letting employees drift out. I'm being quiet fired, what can I do? Quiet firing doesn't always mean your job is over, but it's a clear sign to reassess your situation. 'Employees need to advocate for themselves,' says attorney Aiwazian. 'You are always within your right to ask questions and open that channel of communication with your leaders.' Start by voicing your concerns directly. Ask for clear expectations, define your goals with your manager, and align on what success looks like. 'It's only over if you choose to stay silent,' adds Brandon Dawson, the chairman and co-founder of 10X Health System. 'If you're sensing signs of quiet firing, don't retreat. Lean in.' At the same time, protect yourself. Quiet firing isn't always illegal, but it can be — especially if tied to discrimination or retaliation. Keep detailed records: save emails, track changes to your role, and request feedback in writing. Store all documentation on your personal computer so you have access if you need to take further action. Final thoughts: Quiet firing is not a result of your performance 'Quiet firing speaks more to a failure of leadership and toxic workplace culture — not performance,' says Walker. Quiet firing is a well-known phenomenon, but according to Walker, not one that is well studied. With more stories and shared experiences, hopefully, more researchers will begin to study this trend and find a worthy solution. Until then, our experts advise that the best defense is to identify the signs early and take action before your options become limited. What is USA TODAY Top Workplaces 2025? Do you work for a great company? Each year, USA TODAY Top Workplaces, a collaboration between Energage and USA TODAY, ranks organizations across the U.S. that excel at creating a positive work environment for their employees. Employee feedback determines the winners. In 2025, over 1,500 companies earned recognition as top workplaces. Check out our overall U.S. rankings. You can also gain insights into top-ranked employers by checking out the links below. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Are you being quiet fired? 5 signs to watch for at work
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Yahoo
As degrees get branded worthless, LinkedIn's just revealed the universities that give Gen Z the best shot at corner office jobs
As Gen Z increasingly wonders whether a diploma is worth the debt, LinkedIn says the real test of a school is its career pay-off and ROI. The platform's newest list of the top 50 colleges crowns Princeton University, Duke University and the University of Pennsylvania as the top institutions for 'long-term career success.' Smaller and lesser-known schools can also be hidden gems for young people seeking a fast track to the C-suite or building the next billion-dollar start-up. Millions of college students are headed back to school in the coming weeks, but the excitement of new classes, reconnecting with friends, and fall weather is being overshadowed by a cloud of uncertainty. With many recent graduates struggling like never before to land jobs—and some CEOs warning entry-level jobs are on the brink of extinction thanks to AI—Gen Z is left questioning whether spending four years and thousands of dollars on a degree will be well worth it. And ultimately, the answer may come down to where you obtained your degree. Graduates from Princeton University, Duke University, and the University of Pennsylvania are most likely to experience long-term career success, according to a list of the top 50 U.S. colleges released by LinkedIn this week. With indications that higher education payoff is slowly dying, it's more important now than ever to weigh up after-college career results and the likely ROI of a degree, says Andrew Seaman, senior editor-at-large for jobs and career development at LinkedIn News. 'Long-term success isn't just about landing a great first job, it's about sustained career growth and opportunity years after graduation,' Seaman tells Fortune. 'For this list, that means looking at how well a school sets alumni up for the long haul.' Whereas the median annual salary for high school graduates was $48,360 in 2024, those with a bachelor's degree typically earn just over $80,000—about a 65% increase, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cornell University, and Harvard University round out the top six best colleges, but other typically elite schools are much further down the list. Ivy League institutions Columbia University and Yale University, are No. 18 and 19, respectively. (See the full list below). Getting a degree from a popular school might not be enough LinkedIn produced its ranking using five equally weighted pillars: Job placement: Percentage of alumni from recent graduate cohorts (2019-2024) who started a full-time position or a graduate school program within the same year of graduating. Internships and recruit demand: Percentage of alumni from recent cohorts who completed an undergraduate internship; and labor market demand for recent cohorts, based on InMail outreach data. Career success: Percentage of alumni with post-graduate entrepreneurship or C-suite experience. Networth strength: How connected alumni of the same school are to each other, as well as how connected alumni from recent cohorts are to all past alumni and current students Knowledge breadth: Unique fields of study and skills gained by recent graduates. Focusing on these data points, LinkedIn produced a ranking that saw many well-known schools absent, such as Johns Hopkins University, Emory University, Georgia Tech, and the University of North Carolina. Instead, some institutions with lesser name-recognition made the top-50 cut, such as Bentley University (No. 15), Bucknell University (No. 21), and Fairfield University (No. 28). The findings overall signal that a popular or Ivy League name isn't needed to deliver exceptional career outcomes, Seaman says. 'Schools like Bentley University and Fairfield University are excelling at connecting students with high-quality internships, building strong alumni networks, and helping graduates secure jobs or graduate school placements quickly, all factors that drive long-term career success,' Seaman adds. Among Bucknell's class of 2024, 93% of students secured career opportunities within nine months of graduation, earning an average starting salary of $73,075. Smaller colleges, such as Babson College and Colgate University, were also standouts in terms of network strength and job placement. Babson in particular has the highest percentage of graduates who have become entrepreneurs and founders, according to Seaman. The growing need for AI skills As the value of college continues to be questioned, what many business leaders agree is that students need to learn AI skills above all—or they could risk becoming part of the growing number of Gen Zers who are NEET, not in employment, education, or training. Earlier this year, over 250 CEOs, including Microsoft's Satya Nadella, Airbnb's Brian Chesky, and Uber's Dara Khosrowshahi, called for an increase in computer science and AI education among all students. 'In the age of AI, we must prepare our children for the future—to be AI creators, not just consumers,' the CEOs wrote in a letter sent to lawmakers. 'A basic foundation in computer science and AI is crucial for helping every student thrive in a technology-driven world. Without it, they risk falling behind.' But that doesn't necessarily mean your college major has to be squarely AI or tech-focused. In fact, when Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang was recently asked what the young version of himself would choose to focus on today, he said he'd opt for 'more of the physical sciences than the software sciences.' The top 50 schools for long-term career success According to LinkedIn Princeton University Duke University University of Pennsylvania Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Cornell University Harvard University Babson College University of Notre Dame Dartmouth College Stanford University Northwestern University University of Virginia Vanderbilt University Brown University Bentley University Tufts University Lehigh University Columbia University Yale University Carnegie Mellon University Bucknell University Boston College Villanova University University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Wake Forest University University of Chicago University of Southern California Fairfield University Washington and Lee University University of California-Berkeley Rice University Georgetown University Purdue University University of Michigan-Ann Arbor Miami University Colgate University Southern Methodist University Bryant University Worcester Polytechnic Institute The Pennsylvania State University California Institute of Technology Trinity College Boston University University of Richmond Stevens Institute of Technology The University of Texas at Austin Indiana University Bloomington Lafayette College Providence College University of Wisconsin-Madison This story was originally featured on
Yahoo
12 hours ago
- Yahoo
LinkedIn Expands Access to AI-Assisted Job Summaries
This story was originally published on Social Media Today. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily Social Media Today newsletter. LinkedIn's expanding access to its AI-generated job summaries option for recruiters, which helps prospective employers ensure that the relevant key terms and skills are noted in your job ads, better aligning them with LinkedIn's recommendation systems. The option has been available in some regions for a while, while LinkedIn has also been developing its listings within its Recruiter platform to improve their accuracy. And now, more LinkedIn Company Page managers in more regions will be able to use its AI assistance for their job listings. As explained by LinkedIn, its AI-generated job summaries are currently available 'for a subset of LinkedIn members using LinkedIn job posts in the U.S., India, U.K., Canada, and Australia.' Originally, the option was only available in the U.S. and Canada, but now, more regions are gaining access, providing expanded AI assistance in the job listing process. And the expansion into India is significant, because India is now LinkedIn's third-biggest user market, behind the U.S. and Europe. The platform has seen rapid growth in India, and as such, it's now becoming a bigger focus for the platform, as it builds new tools and innovations. Which, for LinkedIn, at least for the moment, means more and more AI-powered options. 'AI-assisted job descriptions make it easier for hiring managers to create high-quality job descriptions quickly. Using this feature helps you spend less time creating your job description from scratch and more time on other aspects of hiring.' LinkedIn says that the process leverages data and skills insights from across the platform to draft more resonant job descriptions. 'The inputs used are job title, job location, company, workplace type, and job type that are provided to us when you start your job post.' LinkedIn says that these AI-generated summaries will help employers come up with better outlines for the position that they're hiring for, though they won't necessarily be better than human-created overviews. 'Using AI-assisted job descriptions does not mean the draft job description will be better for your role than if you write your own. We hope to help hiring managers save time writing and editing their job descriptions and use a skills-based approach to help draft a job description for you. While we try to ensure quality, mistakes can sometimes happen and job descriptions will not contain all required information. You'll still need to review the job description to make sure it is right for your role and make any edits before posting.' So it's an assistive tool, not a replacement for actual human insight and expertise. But it could be a handy way to ensure that your LinkedIn job postings align with the right elements to get your role in front of the right people in the app. And now, it's available to more users. It could be worth trying out when you go to list a new position to see how LinkedIn identifies the skills required for your workplace. Recommended Reading LinkedIn Adds Mini Sudoku, Its Sixth In-App Game Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
