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Ditch the buzzwords in 2026
Audiences are tuning out the corporate-speak, it’s time to talk human to human again
Tracy Pratt
Jan. 18, 2026 4:30 am
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Dear Favorite Business Leader,
I had lunch with a friend recently, and we laughed that everything seems to have an “AI” label these days. As an AI consultant, I’m on the front lines of this stuff, but even I’m surprised my toothbrush hasn’t tried to give me predictive plaque-fighting insights yet. (And yes, AI toothbrushes exist — look up Feno.)
Admittedly, I’ve had fun with it too, but the reality is that even the most tech-savvy audiences are tuning it out. And AI isn’t the only culprit. As we move through 2026, our goal should be to toss out all the corporate-speak of 2025, particularly around AI, and use language that actually means something. When every brand claims to be "AI-powered" or "disruptive," those words stop being descriptors and start becoming background noise. So here’s a New Year’s resolution for you. Let’s stop being noise and start being a brand worth listening to instead. To do that, we need to leave the 2025 “Hall of Shame” behind and master the art of speaking plainly.
Words to retire
Marketing jargon often acts as a safety blanket for ideas that aren't quite finished. It’s what we say when we’re not 100% sure what we’re doing, but we want to sound like we’re doing it well. Here are some of my favorites to leave behind:
- Synergy: The undisputed king of empty office-speak. In 2025, it was used to describe everything from a basic partnership to two departments finally answering each other's emails. In 2026, let’s just say "collaboration" or "integration" (radical, right?).
- Omnichannel Strategy: Yes, it’s a legitimate framework, but it has become a massive cliché. It was often used as a high-level way to avoid explaining the messy reality of why a brand’s Facebook page didn't match its website experience. Instead, try “a consistent experience across every screen.”
- AI-Powered: The most exhausted phrase of 2025. It usually meant a company was scrambling to add a chatbot to avoid looking obsolete. If you use this in 2026 without explaining the specific benefit, you’ll get an eye-roll instead. Think about saying “automating the boring stuff” or “using data to predict X (a specific result).”
- Thought Leadership: Originally meant to describe industry pioneers, but by the end of 2025, it was being used to describe anyone who posted a LinkedIn poll. Instead use “expert perspective” or simply “sharing what we’ve learned.”
- Value-Add: A vague filler used when a marketer isn't quite sure what the specific benefit of a product is. If you have to call it "value," you probably aren't showing it. Use something specific like “saving you five hours a week” or “cutting your overhead in half” (only if it’s true, of course).
Master the "So what?" test
Shifting our communication from buzzwords to proof is easier when you use the " So what?" test. I’ve heard variations of this over the years. It’s basically a simple exercise that forces you to bridge the gap between a feature (what it is) and a benefit (why it matters to the human reading it). It’s not just about clarity, it’s about credibility. Research shows our brains have a “truth bias” toward plain language — we instinctively find concrete, simple statements more believable than abstract jargon. For every claim you make, imagine a skeptical, caffeinated executive sitting across from you asking, "So what?" You must answer that question until you reach a tangible human emotion or a bottom-line result.
Thus, the evolution of a sentence might be:
- Original language (2025 style): "We provide value-added thought leadership to help brands navigate the modern landscape."
- So what? "We look at your competitors’ data to find the specific marketing channels they are ignoring."
- So what? "You can stop spending money on expensive Facebook ads where everyone else is bidding and move to where your customers are actually hanging out."
- New language: "Quit the bidding war. We identify the 'quiet' channels where your customer acquisition cost is 30% lower, providing more room in your budget for actual creative work."
When you stop trying to sound smart, you actually start sounding helpful. Here are three pillars for effective discussion.
- Replace adjectives with data: Instead of saying your service is "seamless," describe the "3-minute setup." Instead of calling a product "innovative," explain the specific problem it solved that was previously thought to be impossible. Numbers don’t need hype, they do the bragging for you.
- Embrace friction as authenticity: In an era of polished, AI-generated content, showing the "rough edges" builds trust. People want to see the humans behind the logo. For example, instead of a perfect case study, share a "lessons learned" post about a product launch that nearly failed because of a technical hurdle, and exactly how your team stayed up all night to fix it for the client. That struggle proves your commitment better than any buzzword could.
- Specifics are the new sophistication: Generic words like "solutions" or "platforms" are invisible. Use specific nouns. Are you a "SaaS solution for HR," or do you "help managers automate payroll for remote teams?" The latter tells a story.
The most effective thing you can do in 2026 is speak plainly. Use the "So what?" test to strip away the fluff until all that's left is the value. Your audience doesn't want another "synergetic partnership," they want to know how you're going to make their Tuesday easier.
Brandfully Yours,
Tracy
Tracy Pratt, a Cedar Rapids marketing professional with expertise in communication, consumer behavior and AI strategy, believes in blending data with storytelling to help businesses build stronger relationships. Message her on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/1tracypratt.
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