#32 - Sound Smart

HumorWisdom and PhilosophyComments and OpinionsTricks

Aug 14

Written By Roberto Publico

Warning: THIS POST IS FOR FUN AND ENTERTAINMENT. DO NOT USE THIS MATERIAL IN ANY PUBLIC SETTING OR PUBLIC DOCUMENTS.

We all want to sound smart.

For some people, it’s just natural. They have the “gift of gab” or they sound smart, naturally, without even trying.

But, we are addicted to online help to get us through the day. There are two Web Sites that help with this:

PhraseGenerator.com is an online tool that generates really smart sounding phrases that mean absolutely nothing. Visit phasegenerato.com here.

AcronymFinder.com maintains a working version of Phillip Broughton’s Systematic Buzz Phrase Projector.

Over 40 years ago, Phillip Broughton’s published an article “How to Win at Wordsmanship”. He suggested a Systematic Buzz Phrase Projector, a three-column table with 30 words. The use is simple. Think of any random three-digit number, and then select the corresponding buzzword from each column. For example, number 911 produces "balanced organizational flexibility" a phrase that can be dropped into virtually any report or presentation with a flavor of decisive knowledgeable authority. The claim was that “No one will have the remotest idea of what you're talking about, but the important thing is that they're not about to mention it.”

Attempting to keep up, here’s another version that has a few educational words to keep it relevant. The random number routine is sort of “skipped” but it could be easily included by generating a six digit number. Without the acumen and experience of , it doesn’t rival either of these works and we applaud both “phrasegenerator” and “acronymfinder” for their superior work.