Today’s Trendy COVID-19 Buzzwords and Phrases That Drive Me Crazy

Lots of people have real problems as a result of the pandemic. Many have suffered tragedies and extreme hardships. This post is about trivial issues and annoyances – not real problems. But sometimes it is okay to be petty. It’s therapeutic. Even cathartic.

My biggest pet peeve regarding this darn pandemic is when people in my neighborhood assume that I’ve got all kinds of time on my hands during this crisis. For some reason, it just irritates me. Why assume that everyone is sitting at home watching Netflix? I work in healthcare. I do marketing strategy and communications. People need and value information from their local healthcare providers. My team and I help to create that information. Why would I have time on my hands? Okay, that’s the end of that rant. What are your COVID-19-related pet peeves?

Now, on to the subject at hand. A couple of weeks ago, during the #HITMC Virtual Conference, several of the participants and I had a conversation on Twitter about words or phrases that are being used in the COVID-19 era that we find to be particularly annoying. Here’s my list. Feel free to share yours!

“New normal”

“Pivot” (yes, I’m guilty of using this one)

“Lean In”

“Now, more than ever…”

“In these unprecedented times…”

“In this time of uncertainty…”

“In these challenging times..”

Here’s the deal: It should not be difficult to craft authentic communication at a time like this (unprecedented, uncertain, challenging). Consumers have a pretty strong BS meter. They smell that stuff from a mile away. And they hear these lines over and over again. Like them, I don’t believe it when the CEO from Rocket Mortgage tells us that “the health and safety of the communities it serves” is their number one priority. Don’t be like that guy from Rocket Mortgage. Take the time to craft messages that feel real and avoid COVID-speak.

Here’s a coronavirus buzzword bingo graphic from Planeta.com.