By: Susan Finco, President, Leonard & Finco Public Relations
All words have a lifecycle; like fashion, they go in and out of style. But some words seem to become the word du jour out of the blue and then, once they gain a little traction, the word (or words) are everywhere to the point of being over-used.
Take the word “pivot.” Growing up, I always thought pivoting was something you did in ballet or in basketball. Then, in business, I learned about a pivot table, which is a data summary tool. Still, these were pretty limited uses of the word; but now, that’s all changed.
Pivot- and pivoting – are the word darlings of 2016. They are being used for everything from political to sports business decisions to online gambling. Here’s a sampling:
- Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., speaking on MSNBC’s Morning Joe, said of Trump: “He still has time to pivot — Time is running short, but he has time to do that.” (MSN.com)
- Hilary Clinton Pivots Toward Donald Trump in Pennsylvania (The Wall Street Journal)
- Marco Rubio pivots to his next stage (POLITICO headline)
- Did NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell pivot on the Redskins? (Headline – Washingtonian)
- Fan Duel Picks and Pivots for MLB
Frankly, all this pivoting is making me dizzy! I don’t have a problem with old words getting a new life but, like most over-used words, this one’s time has come and should be long gone by now. And I don’t’ think I’ll pivot on that opinion. What over-used words would you like eliminated (or maybe just reduced) from our vocabulary?