But beware, says Stanford University communication expert Matt Abrahams: They can get you into trouble, by negatively impacting the way other people see you. Crutch phrases often include "hedging language" that water down your sentences and make you seem
" can actually undermine our competence and intelligence," Abrahams, a communication consultant and organizational behavior lecturer at the Stanford Graduate School of Business, tells CNBC Make It.Say your boss asks you to take on a big project, for example. Responding, "I think I can pull it off," can make you sound like you lack confidence — especially in comparison to a more confident "Yes, I'd be happy to take it.
Even more simply, you can swap "I think" out for "I know" or "I believe," Abrahams says: "If I say, 'I kind of think we should do this,' it's very different from, 'We should do this.' And sounds more confident and strong." If you really want to sound competent — particularly when someone is explaining a complex topic or subject to you — you can repeat what they said back to them, or ask them a question.
"Saying something like, 'So what I hear you saying is,' demonstrates that you've actually really listened to the person. It demonstrates understanding and builds your confidence in the eyes of other people," Abrahams says.from Harvard and Wharton researchers backs him up. Students were asked to solve a brain teaser with a partner, and given three options for communication: asking for advice, telling their partner, "I hope you did well," or saying nothing at all.