WARNING: some cold hard TRUTHHH lives inside of this post! Read at your own risk… if you use these phrases on the reg, I may be calling you out ☕️

All jokes aside — I see so many badass, successful businesswomen diminishing their own credibility by using filler words and phrases that make them seem less confident. And I don’t want that to happen to you!

Keep reading for the 4 phrases you need to stop saying RIGHT NOW.

“This might be a dumb question, but…”

Stop right there. There’s no such thing! If you don’t ask, the answer will always be ‘no.’ Plus, this overly-passive phrase makes you sound less credible.

This phrase is a classic example of the type of negative self-talk we all should be avoiding. You are not dumb! And neither is your question. If you’re curious about something, ask it — unapologetically.

“Just”

This word minimizes everything that follows it. We use ‘just’ when we are too uncomfortable to give our words the power that they deserve.

We throw it in to make ourselves sound more agreeable, and we often try to hide behind it. Confident people don’t use this filler word.

“If that makes sense”

In adding this empty phrase to the end of your sentence, you’re inviting your listener to doubt you. It implies a level of uncertainty. Be confident in what you’re saying — it DOES make sense!

“Sorry”

A lot of people say ‘sorry’ as an automatic reaction, without even realizing they’re doing it. But using this phrase too much can make people think less of you, and it can lessen the impact of your true apologies. Over-apologizing can also lead to low self-esteem.

If you’re guilty of using any of the above phrases, you are not alone. My hope is that in reading this, you’ll become a bit more aware of how you’re doing yourself a disservice by watering down your true opinions & share-worthy thoughts.

And, in case you need a little validation after all that calling out: your question isn’t stupid, you don’t need to add ‘just,’ your sentence makes sense, and you don’t have to be sorry for existing.

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If we haven’t had the chance to *virtually* meet yet, hi! I’m Sara Noel—website copywriter and marketing mentor for creatives, copywriters, and all-around cool people. If you like my content and you want even more BTL in your life, here are a few ways you can connect with me:

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