(Optics 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.)

Optics

There are no optics worse than saying “the optics” to describe how something is perceived.

First used in politics, now managers (and especially executives) everywhere are suddenly concerned with the optics of every situation, action, or event.

“I don’t like the optics.”

Yeah? Well, we don’t like the word optics! If someone is so concerned about perception, you’d think they’d understand how annoying they sound when lamenting about the optics.

Yes, it takes more words to utter an alternative like, “how this looks” or “how this will be perceived,” but that’s not the point. The optics are bad when you choose optics. You sound like a smug twit.

Of course, if your goal is to sound like a smug twit, then we guess the optics are spot on… keep saying it.

Replacement phrases: Perceived; Perception

See also: Nothing Burger

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