Essential words, phrases, idioms, and collocations for the workplace
Strong vocabulary signals intelligence and professionalism. Here are the key categories you need.
| Verb | Usage Example |
|---|---|
| allocate | "We allocated ₦2 million to the marketing budget." |
| benchmark | "Let's benchmark our performance against industry leaders." |
| collaborate | "The two teams collaborated on the product launch." |
| delegate | "She delegated the task to her assistant." |
| implement | "We will implement the new system in April." |
| leverage | "We can leverage our existing client base." |
| streamline | "We need to streamline the approval process." |
| outsource | "The company outsourced its IT support." |
| scale | "Our goal is to scale the business within two years." |
| pivot | "After poor sales, they pivoted to a new market." |
| Idiom | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Touch base | Check in / make contact | "I'll touch base with you after the weekend." |
| On the same page | In agreement/understanding | "Are we all on the same page about the timeline?" |
| Get the ball rolling | Start a process | "Let's get the ball rolling on the proposal." |
| Think outside the box | Be creative/innovative | "We need to think outside the box to win this client." |
| The bottom line | The most important point / profit | "The bottom line is we need to cut costs by 20%." |
| At the end of the day | Ultimately | "At the end of the day, client satisfaction is our priority." |
| Move the needle | Make a significant difference | "That campaign really moved the needle on our brand awareness." |
| Low-hanging fruit | Easy wins/opportunities | "Let's pick the low-hanging fruit first." |
| Put something on the back burner | Postpone something | "We've put that project on the back burner for now." |
| Ballpark figure | Rough/approximate number | "Can you give me a ballpark figure for the budget?" |
| Circle back | Return to a topic later | "Let's circle back to this after lunch." |
| Bandwidth | Capacity to take on more work | "I don't have the bandwidth for another project right now." |
| Take it offline | Discuss privately/after the meeting | "This is getting detailed — let's take it offline." |
| Across the board | Affecting everything/everyone | "Salaries were frozen across the board." |
| Run it up the flagpole | Test an idea | "Let me run it up the flagpole and see what leadership thinks." |
Collocations are words that naturally go together:
| Collocation | Example |
|---|---|
| meet a deadline | "We struggled to meet the deadline for the submission." |
| close a deal | "She managed to close the deal after three months." |
| conduct a meeting | "He conducts very efficient meetings." |
| draft a report | "Please draft a preliminary report by tomorrow." |
| reach an agreement | "Both parties reached an agreement after negotiation." |
| make a profit | "The company made a profit for the first time this year." |
| launch a product | "We plan to launch the product in Q3." |
| raise capital | "They are raising capital for expansion." |
| sign a contract | "The contract was signed by both CEOs." |
| set a target | "Management set an ambitious target for the year." |
| Jargon | Plain English meaning |
|---|---|
| Synergy | Working together effectively |
| Value proposition | What makes your product/service worth buying |
| Core competency | What you or your company does best |
| KPI (Key Performance Indicator) | A measurable target for performance |
| ROI (Return on Investment) | Profit gained from money spent |
| Stakeholder | Anyone affected by a business decision |
| Deliverable | A specific output or result that must be produced |
| Scope creep | When a project expands beyond its original plan |
| Pain points | Problems that customers/clients want solved |
| Scalable | Able to grow without major extra costs |
| Situation | Expression |
|---|---|
| Asking for help | "Would you mind helping me with this?" |
| Declining politely | "I appreciate the offer, but I won't be able to attend." |
| Asking to reschedule | "I'm afraid something has come up. Could we reschedule?" |
| Expressing uncertainty | "I'm not entirely sure, but I believe…" |
| Requesting urgency | "I'd appreciate it if this could be prioritized." |
| Giving bad news | "I have some difficult news to share regarding…" |
Some expressions are unique or more common in Nigerian business contexts:
| Nigerian Expression | Standard Business English |
|---|---|
| "I am with you" | "I understand" |
| "My oga at the top" | "My supervisor / manager / boss" |
| "Revert" (as in "revert to me") | "Get back to me / Respond to me" |
| "Do the needful" | "Take the necessary action" |
| "Quick one" | "A brief question / matter" |
| "I am on my way" | Often means "I am about to leave" — not "I am currently en route" |