Bullshit aside, this is absolutely one of my favourite words in the whole of the English language: it’s versatile and expressive and energy-efficient, packing a big punch with just one easy-to-utter syllable. ‘Wow’ of course was originally an interjection expressing wonder, amazement, as in ‘Wow!’ (that Facebook emoji you can click on to ‘react’ to a post) In English you can use it as a word – as almost any part of speech. It’s incredibly

Sorry, no idea what a vector is. Nor has anyone else (except, presumably, rockstar mathematicians and engineers.) Not to worry. It’s extremely versatile and sounds great. Just toss it in wherever you want,  but do make sure it’s vaguely connected with movement in one dimension or direction.  You can talk about vectorial-generating interfaces or cutting-edge vectorialization strategies and look very very smart in meetings.     The A-Z of Bullshit, Hype and Cool Stuff is

I only became aware of this one recently and then found myself using it over and again. At my last writing workshop, for example. “So, that’s a few housekeeping issues knocked on the head. Here’s an overview of what we’re going to cover today. First we’ll look at the creative process and then we’re going to unpack the key tools and strategies…” Oh my god. These people have to come to me for creative writing

I knew that a turbine was something that turned (duh), but I was driven by my passion for etymology to do further research. The word originally comes (via French) from the Latin turbo turbinis meaning “spinning top, eddy, whirlwind, that which whirls,” (cf turbid, turbulence, etc) and was originally applied to a wheel spinning on a vertical axis driven by falling water. (And related to the Greek tyrbe meaning wake or turbulence. How come I

Are you sitting comfortably? Then we’ll begin. Once upon a time there was a marketing strategist who had such an overblown idea of his own awesomeness that… Now it’s your turn. Interactive is the new campfire-driven sustainable synergy, right? In my opinion, Storytelling is one of the most insufferable bullshit words and ‘concepts’ ever to hit my screen. Most of the people spouting about Telling Compelling Stories about their brands have no idea what a

That is, that pinnacle of awesomeness: who you really are, in your relationships, your business and your life. You can use Rockstar like Quantum or Ninja to sell stuff. Turbocharge Your Inner Rockstar, for example, or Rockstar your Life in Seven Easy Steps.     The A-Z of Bullshit, Hype and Cool Stuff is part of the Blogging from A to Z Challenge 2016

Use this word to shift gazillions of self-help and personal development books, audios, workshops, webinars, systems, seminars, courses, toolboxes, practices, healings, activations, attunements, ‘transmissions’ and master key programs.     The A-Z of Bullshit, Hype and Cool Stuff is part of the Blogging from A to Z Challenge 2016

To be honest, I got stuck with the letter P. Spoilt for choice: so many epic words to take the piss out of: portal, platform, process, paradigm, purposify, productize. How about an expression, I thought. Put out fires? Or Push the Envelope. Meaning to innovate, to go beyond boundaries. But the more I thought about it, the more it made no sense. Push what envelope? How do you push the envelope? From inside or outside?

Options – the illusion of choice. With most things now there are so many options you go dizzy and end up (a) spending hours / days on consumer sites to find the Best Option or (b) realise that it’s all an illusion, a mirage, all smoke and mirrors and you can choose between 577 varieties of chemicals-laden crap. Or, between a couple of Big Players (monster corporations) that offer you exactly the same services and

You see it all the time now: all those people out there who call themselves book / business / blogging ninjas or profess to teach you seven kick-ass ninja strategies for taking your business to the next level. But what exactly is a ninja? Apart from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (les Tortugues Ninja here in Catalonia) who were all the rage in the early 1990s when my sons were growing up, and a vague