Reaching out

[Icimoi]

I'm dealing with someone at work who never says that he'll contact someone, speak to them, phone them, email them etc - he always says he will reach out to them, or asks them to reach out to him. When he does it with me I find it hard to keep a straight face. I've noticed it occasionally with other people. Where on earth has this nonsense come from?

Is he reaching out to touch base?

Horrible!! I worked with someone who answered the phone like this

"hello, good afternoon....oh no sorry, Mr. Jones is not here, he is taking luncheon, would you like to speak to me in his stead? I am I.C. when he is not available"!!!!

(I.C. means in charge apparently)!

No idea - but my ML has just started saying she'll ''touch base'' with us in x days or whatever, rather than ring us ..... Where's that come from?

Every time she says it i think i pull an odd face for a second

Put on loudspeaker every time he does it.

Reach out, oh that is a bit cringey isn't it?

I have a ex-colleague who would tell his clients he would "divulge" or "interface" with them soon. We assumed he was just using a thesaurus and throwing synonyms out there.

I always have this mental picture of people who say this having their hands stretched out beseechingly. I suppose it's some sort of PR invention.

What I'm really curious about is whether this man uses it at home. "DW, could you reach out to the milkman to change the milk order?" "DS, please reach out to your sister to get her to come down for breakfast"? "Yes, I'll reach out to DW and tell her you've called" "I reached out to DS' teacher about his homework."

The mind boggles.

Whaaaat? That's ridiculous.

I thought I'd heard all the bollocks as well!

Crap like this makes me irrationally cross. They are not reaching out they are making a fucking phone call!

I always think people who say stuff like this must be those people who have their mobile phone clipped to the belt of their trousers. And use handsfree, but in a way that is designed to be really obvious that you're having a super important conversation (loudly) on handsfree.

It's very consultant type speak.

I normally reply with a straight face "do you mean go and talk to them?"

Another bugbear of mine is "I'm going to socialise this paper." I think it means send it out for comment or sign-off.

All of that crappy consultant speak makes me irrationally at work

Dd's teacher has asked we touch base after the holidays. I said I'd be happy to meet with him while trying not to pull a face at him.

Oh swivel, I'm now imagining a paper party, where all the papers get together to make new friends

I cannot tell you how much this shit irritates me

Really wish someone would make it just go away...

Socialise a paper? Somebody seriously said that? They need putting out if their misery.

I hate it too and a co worker uses it all the time. I try not to cringe. However, I have a response which I use with a totally straight face if pushed which is " and did x reach back?"

I have a vision of them running towards each other, across a sandy beach or meadow:)

I have been in a new job for about a year and everyone uses this - "Rogue reach out to John on that project"
"I will reach out to that person in relation to that matter"

Like PP All I want to do is snigger when they say it - and yes to the image of them running across sand hands out to each other.

I would feel like such a prat if I ever said it.

gonerogue, perhaps you've explained it, at least in part. If the person I'm dealing with works in that sort of environment, it's understandable that he's picked it up and maybe even thinks it's normal.

But it still doesn't excuse whoever introduced the concept in the first place.

I live in the US. It is all too common here!

My best friend lives in the US and tells me I am the only person he can talk to who doesn't reach out:)

Luckily he doesn't mind when I take the piss out of him when he forgets and talks to me strangely:) he says dating is really hard work over there. Apparently he told a date a little about his life in the UK and she said " thanks for reaching out to me" he was horrified:) it was just natter about nothing, not some in depth analysis about his childhood!

Reaching out
Touching base
Taking a helicopter view
Bringing so blue sky thinking

I could win a game of consultant speak bingo pretty much every time I go to a meeting. Aargh!

some blue sky thinking

Ridiculous. The poor clients! If he says he'll reach out to you tell him to park that idea for now.

Is he a well meaning buffoon, though? If so just forgive him this madness and hope he grows out of it.

'Going forward' gives me the rage!

My boss has us 'unpack ideas'.

I hate this. It's like the modern version of brainstorming - another word I hate.

You unpack a suitcase. What is wrong with saying "let's think about this"?