In our fast-moving world, using concise yet descriptive words and phrases can be very powerful when communicating important thoughts and ideas.

While the term can incite eye-rolls if overused, certain words and associated phrases can be helpful as a communication tool when you don’t have the time for an in-depth conversation. Here are some of the latest business buzzwords to help you expand your professional vocabulary or better understand them when thrown at you.

• Headwinds & Tailwinds. Headwinds are outside factors that get in the way of where you want to go. They can be macroeconomic factors like interest rates, or can be closer to home such as new regulations in your industry. Tailwinds are positive factors that help move something in a better direction for you, like a competitor getting out of the market or demand increasing for your product. It’s like riding your bike on a windy day – it’s out of your control, but riding is so much easier with the wind at your back than in your face.
• Forcing Function. Ever get stuck in the middle of a project or have delays caused by someone not doing their part? A forcing function is a secondary action or factor related to the activity you are trying to accomplish that forces resolution or a decision. An example is an expiration date on a sales proposal. The date is the forcing function to ensure a decision is made on the proposal. This prevents the proposal from lingering indefinitely.
• Ecosystem. In business, an ecosystem is the collective group of people and organizations that comprise a given industry. To be in the ecosystem, an organization needs to have an impact on everything else within that ecosystem. For example, the tax preparation ecosystem is made up of clients, tax preparers, the IRS, state & local tax authorities, suppliers, and competitors. If something changes with anyone in this ecosystem, everyone involved is impacted in some way. To be successful in any industry, you need to understand the specifics that drive behavior in your industry’s ecosystem.
• Table Stakes. Like many business buzzwords, table stakes is a term first popularized at the poker table before finding a similar application elsewhere. It refers to the minimum functionality or service delivery that is expected for an offering in a given industry. Take streaming services like Netflix, for example. Table stakes include 24/7 access, original content, and subscription tiers. Without these features, a streamer’s market share would quickly diminish.
• Value Proposition. Often referred to as a value prop for short, a value proposition is a concise statement that explains the value a business provides its customers, often in comparison with their competitors. It’s essentially an elevator pitch designed to get a prospective customer interested in the business. Without a solid understanding and communication of the business’s value proposition, all other benefits the company can offer may go by the wayside. So it’s very important to get this right.

While the business buzzwords presented here are general in nature, the ones you use may be industry- or tool-specific. So be aware of the buzzwords you use on a regular basis and make sure your audience also fully understands their meaning.