Word Salad The Saga

What is word salad? Well, in my humble opinion it’s the verbal version of opening a fridge, tossing everything into a bowl, adding dressing, and calling it strategy.  You can find word salad online (think Moby dick as an email).

To be fair, the definition of word salad from Merriam-Webster describes it as ‘extremely disorganized speech or writing’. Too many words, not enough point. And in everyday business conversation it usually means using enough buzzwords to make a everyone silently cry inside.

So, is it good or bad? Well, let’s take a look at the croutons and accoutrement and I’ll let you decided.

It can be useful. It can also be exhausting. And frustrating.  Especially when you’re trying to manage meeting time with back-to-back meetings.

It can help a gifted talker build relationships, fill awkward silence, keep a meeting alive, and smooth over a tense business moment. But it can also waste time, bury the message, confuse stakeholders, and turn a simple update into a corporate hostage situation.

What It REALLY Means

In the workplace, it is not always about confusion. Most of the time, it is simply a lot of words doing very little work.

It sounds like this:

“We’re currently evaluating a number of strategic pathways to better align our internal priorities with future-state stakeholder expectations.”

Translation?

“We don’t know yet.”

See? Wasn’t that easier?

It often shows up when people are nervous, unprepared, overly polished, trying to sound important, or buying time while their brain searches for the exit. It can also happen when someone enjoys talking and simply takes the scenic route to the point.

And listen, scenic routes are perfect for vacation. In a Tuesday meeting at 8:30 a.m.? Not so much. I need coffee and you’re blocking my path.

Why Some People Have the Gift to Gab

Some people can talk. I mean REALLY talk.

They can walk into a cold room, warm it up in three minutes, make strangers feel comfortable, and keep a conversation moving when everyone else is staring at their notebook like it contains the meaning of life. That is a skill.

People with the gift to gab often do well in business because business is not only about spreadsheets, sourcing strategies, supplier scorecards, and quarterly goals. It is also about people and relationships matter. Trust matters. Being able to read a room matters.

And let’s be honest, some meetings need a little verbal seasoning. Not every room is a lively TED Talk waiting to happen. Sometimes it’s twelve people, not enough coffee, and one spreadsheet that looks like it has seen things. Bad Things.

When It Can Actually Help

There are times when a little extra talking is not only acceptable—it is strategic. In a good way.

For example, it can buy time if  you get asked a tough question or get put on the spot and just need five seconds to figure it out without looking like your brain just opened 36 browser tabs.

Something like, “That’s a good question, and I think there are a few angles to consider,” can give you a moment to breathe and think it out. It’s not a crime, if anything it’s survival (in the best way possible).

It can also soften hard conversations. In procurement, sourcing, sales, leadership, and supplier management, not every message should be delivered like a sledgehammer.

Imagine saying..

Your pricing is absolutely absurd and ridiculous!

Direct? Yes. Potentially Creating Supplier Drama? Probably. Bad for business? Definitely.

Really, we all know if you just change it just a tad to…

We’re seeing a gap between the proposal and current market expectations, so we need to revisit the pricing structure.

That is still clear, but it does not kick the supplier directly in the spreadsheet. So yes, sometimes extra words help. They give context. They reduce defensiveness. They create space for people to process what is being said without having to respond in an instant.

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves, the sword is double sided.

When Word Salad Becomes a Problem

Here’s where things get dicey. In a word salad sense.

It becomes a problem when people use too many words to avoid saying the actual thing.

Instead of … Are we on track? You get…

“We’re currently evaluating several timing-related dependencies that may influence our ability to maintain alignment with the projected milestone cadence.”

Say what?! Just say no. Seriously We’re adults. Mostly.

Too much talking can make you look unprepared, evasive, and maybe even insecure. Even worse, it can make simple decisions harder. If your audience has to dig through six layers of jargon to find your point, they are not impressed. They will be tired. Very tired. (We will all need more coffee).

Too Much Talking Can Lead To	Why It Matters
Missed decisions	Nobody knows what was agreed
Longer meetings	Time gets wasted
Confused stakeholders	People leave with different takeaways
Weak accountability	No clear owner or next step
Lost credibility	The speaker sounds polished but vague

Why Silence Is Not the Enemy

Here’s a crazy thought: silence is allowed. I know. Shocking. Somewhere, a chronic over-talker just clutched their pearls.

But silence is not failure. Silence can be powerful. It gives people room to think. It allows a point to land. It lets the other person respond instead of making them sit through a bonus episode of “Things I Already Said, But Longer.”

In supplier negotiations, silence can be especially useful. You ask a question, then stop talking. Let the other person answer. Do not rescue them from the pause. Do not start tap dancing through filler words because the room got quiet. (I’ve used this tactic on more than one occasion – it works).

Quiet is not the enemy. 

A strategic pause can be perceived as ‘I’m confident’ and rambling be viewed as  ‘I’m nervous and memorized the dictionary last night’. There is an absolute fine line to be watched. But think of the people who have mastered ‘the pause,’ their speaking is eloquent and impactful.

The Type A Communicator’s Struggle

Now, for the direct communicators, the Type A personalities like me, the “please get to the point before my soul leaves my body” crowd—word salad can be painful. To the point of tears. Or loss of attention.

Direct people often hear the point before the speaker finishes building the verbal runway. Give me the issue, the recommendation, the timeline, and the owner. Preferably in that order and we’re good.

Type A people value efficiency. They see clarity as respect. Respect for time. Respect for focus. Respect for everyone’s calendar, which is already being held together by caffeine, gummy bears, and Outlook reminders.

But direct communicators also need to remember something: not everyone processes information the same way. Some people think out loud. Some people need context. Some people use talking to connect before they decide and that’s okay too.

That does not mean we should let every conversation become a buzzword buffet. It just means there is a middle ground where everyone can be comfortable and happy.

How to Find the Balance

The best business communicators know when to talk and when to stop. They build rapport without hijacking the meeting. They can give context without burying the point. They can be direct without sounding like they were raised by a project plan (I’ve known a few of these in my days).

Here is one way to look at it.

Step	What to Do	Example
1	Say the point	“We need to delay the launch.”
2	Explain the reason	“Legal has not approved the supplier contract.”
3	State the impact	“If we proceed now, we create compliance risk.”
4	Give the next step	“We need approval by Thursday or we move launch one week.”
5	Stop talking	Let people respond

Beautiful. Clean. No garnish required.

The secret is not to remove personality. Please do not become a human compliance manual. I worked in Quality Control early on and those things are soul crushing. Just try to remember your goal is to communicate with purpose.

Use humor. Use stories. Use your gift to gab when it helps the room (and when the directs forget their point). Just do not confuse volume with value, and remember context is helpful. Verbal clutter, not so much.

Before your next meeting, email, presentation, or stakeholder update, ask yourself a few simple questions:

• What is the main point?
• Can I say it in one sentence?
• Does the audience need background, or am I just warming up?
• Is this explanation helping or hiding the message?
• Have I given a clear next step?
• Should I stop talking now?

That last question may sting, but it is often the one that saves the meeting. I’ve seen self-aware leaders say it outloud to check themselves.

Strong communication is not about using the most words. It is about using the right words at the right time.

Conclusion: Use the Gift to Gab

So, is word salad good or bad? It depends on how it is served…

A little can help. It can warm up a room, buy thinking time, soften hard conversations, and make business feel less robotic. People with the gift can typically move up quickly in the workplace. They can connect, persuade, facilitate, and keep things moving when the rest of us are mentally composing a two-sentence email and calling it a day.

But too much talking becomes noise. It can bury decisions or create confusion. It can even make the direct people eyes twitch. And worst of all, it can make smart people sound like they are hiding behind a pile of corporate lettuce.

Silence is not the enemy. Neither is talking. The real enemy is terrible communication. So use the gift if you have it! Tell the story. Build the relationship. Add the color when it helps. But when the point is ready, serve it clean.

No verbal croutons required.