(Open a Dialogue is an annoying business term and is just one of the 212 Most Annoying Business Phrases Managers Effuse, Confuse, and Overuse detailed in the hilarious must-have guide for every workplace: The 30,000-Pound Gorilla in the Room. Available right now on Amazon.)

Open a Dialogue

We get it. Many readers see this one and wonder why it’s on the list. Isn’t it clear? Isn’t it correct?

Yes… and sometimes.

Yes, it’s clear; though, it’s only sometimes correct. Oh, and in business, it’s always pompous.

Everyone understands open a dialogue means start a conversation; though this doesn’t make it any less annoying. Generally overused to describe proposed meetings with potential partners, open a dialogue is only correctly used when it refers to starting a conversation… and, basically, only the first such conversation.

Unfortunately, its meaning has morphed to cover everything from routine meetings to simple information gathering. Moreover, those who overuse this one will even mention they want to open a dialogue with those they’ve spoken to before – including coworkers! (Starting a subsequent  conversation with a party would be “reopening” a dialogue, right?)

“Let’s be sure we open a dialogue with IT on this one.” Ugh, we already speak with IT on a daily basis! Don’t you simply mean “Be sure to speak with IT?”

Then. Say. That!

By the way, if you actually enjoy coming across as a self-important jerk, be sure to also overuse the excruciatingly painful “dialoguing” to describe what you’re doing once you open a dialogue.

We’ll all hate you that much more.

Replacement phrases: Speak with

See also: Ping; Touch Base; Connect With

…

The 30,000-Pound Gorilla in the Room is available on Amazon