No need to emphasize the importance of communication in the business world. But perhaps this recent Marist Poll and additional list compiled over at Career Hub, can reinforce the weight on how we communicate, more specifically: the words we choose.

The dismissive “whatever” took top honors as the ‘most annoying word used in conversation’. Right behind it were “you know” and the ever-profound “it is what it is”. Billie Sucher, a career transition consultant and Career Hub blogger, went ahead and asked her own clients for their ‘most annoying’ terms. Below is the top 20:

01. Be that as it may; that being said; that said
02. To be quite honest
03. To make a long story short
04. No brainer
05. Awesome
06. Awesome dude
07. Dude
08. No worries
09. It’s all good
10. Sup
11. Irregardless
12. Delish (for delicious)
13. Fab (for fabulous)
14. Phenomenal
15. Bottom line (yikes, I say this a lot!)
16. Clearly
17. Talk to me
18. Um
19. Like
20. Look

See the whole list here.

So let’s say what we really mean, and mean what we really say! Or whatever.

A recent survey by Econsultancy and bigmouthmedia found that marketers most commonly handle negative Internet buzz by directly engaging with its source. Meaning that the best way to deal with harsh criticism of your brand/product/service is to meet it head-on, with solutions (not confrontation). Yes every scenario is different, but this law can still find applications across the board, from your social media/blogosphere to the retail world.

It boils down this: listen to your consumer. And respond when appropriate. In any forum, we can expect to see negative feedback. Luckily we’re not entirely judged by what that opinion is, but how we react to it.