Irregardless, the Copacetic Analyzation of, Like, Per Se is &@#%!

Want to make more sales or maybe just sound smarter?  Then learn which words make lots of people--from your peers, to your bosses, to your CUSTOMERS--cringe.  Spoken or written, these words lose you sales!

 

Irregardless.  It's a common word now that is most often misused as a synonym for "regardless"--and it is not.  It's a double negative of "regardless"--instead of meaning "in NO regard" to something, like "regardless", it means "NOT in NO regard" to something, or actually then IN REGARD to something!  So, saying "Regardless of the high interest rate, you got a new car!" is not the same as "Irregardless of the high interest rate, you got a new car!"  The first sentence says to the customer that he or she is getting a new car and to just ignore the minor pain of the interest--the second sentence says the customer got a new car AND the interest rate is painful.

The Fix: Just use the proper word "regardless" whenever you would say "irregardless", and you will be correct!  However, if you are mentally stuck needing an "ir-" word for what you mean by improperly using "irregardless", then properly use "irrespective"--which is an "ir-" word that actually has the same meaning as "regardless".  And is a likely culprit for the historical slip-up that led to the modern mis-use of "irregardless"!

Footnote:  Yes, despite claims to the contrary, "irregardless" is a word accepted even by Merriam-Webster now.  It's the way it is used as a synonym for "regardless" that is wrong!  Which is why many grammar/spell-checks alert on it.

 

Copacetic.  It's a word.  And it may sound to you like it comes from some education--however, the very origin of the word is not clear.  It means "very satisfactory", but it shows up quite often as a synonym for (of all things) the common (but also of mysterious origin) word "okay".  As in "Are we copacetic?", "Things here are copacetic.", "We're all very copacetic.", and so on.  Is it a word much seen in educated speech?  No.  It sounds, perhaps, lofty and powerful, and someone using it often blazes out with "copacetic" like it's a code word for the phrase "smart folks like me will know this word".  

The Fix: Just use "okay" instead!  Or be specific, when it makes sense, as in "Are we selling enough GMCs?" or "Is the department morale good today?"

 

Analyzation.  You mean "analysis", don't you?  Yes.  "Analyzation" is, again, a real word to Merriam-Webster, though even as I type it the grammar/spell-check of this site alerts on it.  It's a really pompous and uneducated-sounding way to say "analysis".  So . . .

The Fix:  Just learn to always use "analysis" instead.  This one's not that hard.

 

Per se ("per say").  Ugh.  It's a latin phrase for "in itself" and is sometimes defined as "as much".  And it's the one phrase that get's littered across some conversation almost as much as the word "like" (see next entry), as in "Well, I'm not saying, per se, that you stole my customer.  Or that, per se, you're a snake.   However, you did, per se, end up with a commission on a $6,000 gross that you didn't, per se, share with me."  Even if you read that sentence back and mentally substitute "in itself" or "as much" for "per se", you'll understand that this is just speech that only sounds irritating, not educated.

 

Like.  "Oh. My. God. Like. Totally..."  The use of "like" as an idiotic-sounding "bonding pause" in speech has a long, long history, as in "Yeah, like, I was, like, going to, like, the store, and, like, my Mom, like, wouldn't, like, give me any money!"  So, it's been around the speech of teens for decades. And it's use this way is, hands down, the most obnoxious mis-use + over-use of any non-profane word I can think of in the English language!  Luckily, many teens grow out of the need for it.  However, some job applicants are headed to a sales floor near you, still in their early twenties, using it.  Or maybe you use it yourself.

The Fix: ABSOLUTELY STOP!  This mis-use + over-use of "like" has been scientifically demonstrated to melt the brains of lab mice, stop the hearts of anyone over 40, and absolutely and totally end the career of anyone in sales.

 

&@#%! (Profanity).  Don't use it.  At least not to sound professional.  And certainly not in sales.

The Fix:  You know what to do.

 

Now, everybody, either &@#%! go forth and copacetic-ally perform some, like, analyzation of, like, your professional usage of English.

 

Or instead just remember this article . . . per se.  :)

by Keith Shetterly, keithshetterly@gmail.com

Copyright 2011, www.keithshetterly.com

All Rights Reserved 

Views: 306

Comment

You need to be a member of DealerELITE.net to add comments!

Join DealerELITE.net

Comment by Adeana Brock on September 28, 2011 at 6:28pm
This makes me so happy!  I'm often referred to as the "grammar nazi" and I'm glad to know that I'm not the only one who notices these very common mistakes!!!!
Comment by Keith Shetterly on September 28, 2011 at 11:08am
What a great set of responses!  Thank you all!!
Comment by Pete Grimm on September 28, 2011 at 11:02am

My parents ground these and other similar "rules" into me. Today, I often hear and see them violated and it is a "turn-off" every time I do.

Word choice and diction is integral to selling. Sales managers should be teachers, constantly improving the diction (and grammar) of their salespeople. Don't think salespeople will resent this. The good ones will realize that it shows you care, like a good parent. Cheers, Pete

Comment by Jason Buchanan on September 27, 2011 at 12:41am
Uhm, like, uhm. Don't do it. Just take a silent strategic pause if you need time to think or respond. I once had to let a salesperson go because she couldn't stop saying "uhm" over and over in her presentation to customers. Of course I gave her 3 months to try to correct this expression, but she couldn't overcome it. Uhm, I like can't stand that word.
Comment by David Simpson on September 26, 2011 at 10:39pm

i had this conversation today about the hazards of the "extensive" vocabulary.  These are some of my "favorite"examples of the slow demise of the English language.

 

Communication is not what is intended, it is what is received.  That is a good rule to start with when determining what level of communicator you want to be.

 

 

 

Comment by Manny Kokolis on September 26, 2011 at 10:08pm
I keep threatening to write a book titled "I'm like... and she goes..." but I don't think anyone will read it.
Comment by Mr. Natural on September 26, 2011 at 7:02pm

Oh cool...This gives me a chance to bring out one of my favorites:

Intrastructure: There is no such word!  Now the word Infrastructure refers to the basic, underlying framework or 

features of system or organization. It's amazing how many newscasters and commentators use the former term. 

Thanks for giving me the chance t get that out.

Mo-Par to ya',

Gillon

© 2024   Created by DealerELITE.   Powered by

Badges  |  Report an Issue  |  Terms of Service