Don’t Ever Use This Word Around Mark Cuban: ‘You Sound Stupid … Because You’re Trying To Sound Smart’

Billionaire entrepreneur Mark Cuban tries to keep things as simple as possible when it comes to communication. Complicated business language bothers him — and there’s one word that really stands out.

What To Know: Cuban is not a fan of jargon, especially when people use certain words in an attempt to sound smart. 

“Always use the simpler word,” Cuban once said, according to a CNBC report citing a Q&A session with Wired.

“There’s no reason to ever use the word ‘cohort’ when you could use the word ‘group.’ A cohort is a group of people. Say ‘group,’ you sound stupid when you use the word ‘cohort’ because you’re trying to sound smart.”

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Why It Matters: Business buzzwords and corporate jargon often get on the nerves of those who hear the same language used repeatedly. Terms including “circle back,” “new normal” and “company culture” were deemed to be the most annoying based on a recent Preply survey. 

Given Cuban’s business background, it’s no surprise that he has developed a distaste for overused and often superfluous business buzzwords. His argument that using words like “cohort” actually makes you sound stupid is also supported by studies.

Columbia Business School professor Adam Galinsky recently argued that people use jargon when they are feeling insecure about their intelligence or importance. People substitute simple words for more complicated ones to feel as if they have a higher status, but higher status individuals are actually more concerned about articulating themselves appropriately for clear communication.

Galinksy and Cuban appear to be in the same cohort when it comes to corporate jargon, but don’t tell Cuban that.

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Photo: Shutterstock.

Some elements of this story were previously reported by Benzinga and it has been updated.