Squishy Words Are the Death of Clarity
“They’ll take care of it.”
“We’ll circle back when it’s ready.”
“That should be fine.”
These phrases are super common. But they are full of shortcut words that create confusion the moment people leave the room.
Let’s take a closer look:
“They’ll take care of it.”
Who exactly is they? A single person? An entire team? And what does take care of mean—send an email, overhaul the process, or just promise to “look into it”? What is it in the first place?
“We’ll circle back when it’s ready.”
Who is included in we? Who is handling the follow-up? And what does ready mean—finished, reviewed, approved, or simply not embarrassing?
“She owns the process.”
Which process? Does own mean accountable for the result, or just updating a spreadsheet? Does ownership extend to outcomes, or just paperwork? And who the heck is “she”?
“We need to help them out.”
Who exactly is we—the whole department, or just the person in the room who nodded? Who are them? And what does help mean—staffing, budget, coaching, or moral support?
“That should be fine.”
What is that? What does should imply—certainty or a guess? And what is the standard for fine? Fine for one team, or for the customer, or for the CFO?
Individually, these shortcut words feel efficient. But add them up and you’ve got a recipe for finger-pointing and wasted time. Everyone leaves the meeting thinking they’re aligned, when in reality each member of the group is walking out with a different interpretation. Confusion ensues and execution suffers.
How to Fix It
Interrogate pronouns. Words like we, they, it, and that deserve a follow-up question. Replace them with names, teams, or specific deliverables.
Swap vague verbs. Instead of own, say is accountable for delivering X. Instead of help, say provide Y by Z date.
Define “done.” Do not accept ready or fine without asking: “What does ready look like? How will we know it is fine?”
Restate commitments. End meetings with plain-language confirmation: “Marketing delivers the campaign brief to Sales by Friday. Sales provides feedback by Monday.” If people cannot repeat it back with confidence, clarity is missing.
Execution thrives on clarity. Everyday shortcut words are clarity killers.
Because “we will help them own it when it is ready and that should be fine” is not clarity.
