Stop Apologizing for Using Clichés

When's the last time you've heard this in a speech or presentation?

I know it's a cliché, but...

Is disclosing the fact that you're using a cliché make its usage somehow more acceptable?

What if I were to tell you that it's cliché to preface clichés with a cliché disclosure?

Original ideas are welcome in your speeches and presentations, but sometimes a good old fashioned truism or widely-understood concept is worth reiterating. Does that mean using clichés is an inevitability? Well kind of, not really.

Saying "I know this is a cliche" diminishes your point, and distracts from your objective. Why not try presenting tried-and-true concepts in a new way? Instead of presenting the idea as a rehash, think of a new way to present it, and let your audience make the connection themselves.

Don't feel the need to apologize for stating the tenacity of teamwork, the importance of trust, or how communication is everything. Just find a new way to communicate it!

Or, don't, and use the cliché anyway. Just don't make a big deal out of it.

Calling out your own cliché doesn't make the fact that you used it any less egregious.

5 Ways to Avoid Obvious Clichés

1. Use stories to illustrate your point instead - stories can bring ethereal concepts to life and do most of the talking for you. Stories can be more personal, and give you leeway to be as creative as you'd like.
2. Revisit the meaning of the cliché, and opt for a less flashy alternative - for example, what is the literal translation to the phrase "at the end of the day?" You could easily use "ultimately" or "finally" instead.
3. Explore synonyms and reword - as silly as this sounds, using a thesaurus to look up similar words to a common cliché can help you think about it from a new angle.
4. Try removing the cliché completely - sometimes clichés are just filler, or padding to your sentence that can sometimes help it flow, but don't convey any substantive meaning. Sometimes you're better off not using the expression at all.
5. Don't call it a cliché, and use it anyway - This one is cheating... but if a cliché really fits, and you don't call it out as a cliché, it not always a problem. Especially if you don't apologize for using it. :)