How to Eliminate Clichés to Communicate Clearly and Meaningfully

Effective business communication relies on clear, concise, specific, and meaningful writing. Clichés fail all four requirements. In your first draft, a cliché may feel so easy and familiar to write that it seems irreplaceable. But, upon revision, you’ll see that clichés are unoriginal, broad generalizations—and often redundant. Delete them. Replace them. Your readers will reward you with their attention.

A major advantage of eliminating clichés from your business writing is the clarity and precision it brings. Without the clutter of overused phrases, your writing will be more persuasive and impactful, and you’ll be seen as more authentic, authoritative, and trustworthy.

Identifying and Understanding Clichés

Nearly every writing book admonishes you to avoid clichés, but how can you tell whether a familiar phrase is hackneyed or necessary? Is the phrase really a cliché, or is it an idiomatic turn of phrase, a term of art, or an effective representation of a complex idea that is efficiently conveyed through this phrase?

• Clichés are predictable and familiar phrases, often metaphors or tautologies, that have lost impact or novelty through overuse. Examples: “At the end of the day,” “think outside the box,” “a dime a dozen,” “it is what it is.”
  
  
• Idioms are culturally-rooted phrases that mean something different than their literal translation. Examples: “Kick the bucket” (meaning “to die”), “break a leg” (meaning “good luck”). Over-used idioms can also be clichés, so be careful.

• Jargon refers to specialized language or terms—usually unofficial—used by a particular group or profession to efficiently communicate shared ideas. Examples: “synergize” or “circle back” in business.

• Terms of art are words or phrases that have a specialized, precise meaning within a specific field, especially in law. Examples: “Consideration, “negligence,” “reasonable person,” and “non obstante veredicto” in law.

Understanding the difference between these terms will help you apply the right editing advice.

The Problem with Clichés

You’re sure to include clichés in your first drafts, and many business writers will leave them in their final drafts. But just because clichés have become staples in corporate writing does not mean they must be staples in your writing. Clichés invite your readers to question your authority and reliability. If you can’t come up with your own words, perhaps you don’t really understand what you’re talking about.

Business writing should be clear, concise, specific, and meaningful, and clichés don’t fulfill any of these requirements. Clichés are not:

• Clear - Many clichés are idiomatic, and not immediately clear. Even things like “at the end of the day,” which likely feels transparent to you as a writer, can be confusing to the reader. While you may mean “at the conclusion of what’s happening,” a reader may be confused as to exactly when you’re referring to. Others, if unfamiliar, can be difficult to decipher, even for native speakers. “Half the pie” may mean “half of a collected sum of money” to you, but your reader may be left wondering why anyone would want 50% of a pastry.
  
  
• Concise - A cliché is almost never the shortest way to say something. Many times, there are easier ways to express ideas. Take our previous example of “at the end of the day.” Chances are you could eliminate this statement entirely and still be perfectly clear. “At the end of the day, our profits will be higher if our messaging remains consistent” loses nothing if you write it as “Our profits will be higher if our message remains consistent.” These filler clichés add bulk without contributing useful information.
  
  
• Specific - If a phrase has been used enough to become a cliché, it is not specific to what you are writing. “When all is said and done” gives no details about the steps that must be completed, nor the timeline. “Once we get approval from the bigwigs” tells you nothing about whose approval must be sought, just that they are important in context. Both these cases need more information to be useful. Give your reader material they can act on.
  
  
• Meaningful - The phrase “that’s so cliché,” complete with eyeroll, tells you the problem with overused wording: it loses its weight and meaning. The phrase “packs a punch” doesn’t really. Saying “everything happens for a reason” gives no reason. If you’re resorting to a cliché to express your thoughts, you likely don’t have enough meaning behind your words. When you catch yourself filling space this way, consider conciseness: if it doesn’t add meaning or value, leave it out.

While many clichés started as inventive metaphors or fresh and insightful phrases, their repeated use killed their value. Now, stripped of their original context and uniqueness, the phrases have become clichéd expressions lacking the specificity and novelty that once made them impactful. These lazy, ready-made phrases may come to mind as you write, but you should reject their convenience and instead either skip them completely or search for something original and specific that perfectly captures your meaning and resonates with your audience.