Vic from Indianapolis, who works at a newspaper, bristles at colleagues saying I’m efforting that, as in having reporters efforting a photo or asking whether the paper is efforting something. The verb effort has been heard before and may have a specific use in media, especially broadcast media, but in ordinary office prose it can feel vague. It can mean anything from asking the person nearby for a photo to chasing down expensive rights from rights clearance agencies. Clearer alternatives include getting, working on, or saying exactly what step is underway. This is part of a complete episode.
Transcript of ““Efforting” Is a Poor Choice When There Are Better, More Precise Words to Use”
Hello, you have A Way with Words.
Hi, how are you?
Great, who’s this?
This is Vic from Indianapolis.
Hi, Vic, welcome to the program.
Hi, Vic.
Hi, great to be on.
What can we help you with?
I’ve ran into a word that is kind of bugging me. Sort of a new way of saying I’m getting you something, or I’m working on that, and it’s the word efforting.
What? Efforting?
Okay, you have to give us an example, Vic.
Well, I work in media, I work at a newspaper, and a colleague sent me an email telling me that he had some reporters efforting a photo.
Oh, Lord of mercy.
I see your big fads, too.
Yeah, and then we had another editor send a question to one of my bosses saying, are we efforting this? You know, are we efforting something?
Wow, interesting.
And you love the word, clearly.
Oh, geez, it’s horrible.
Big fan.
The worst thing.
He loves it as much as I do.
And what should they have said instead?
Well, you know, getting, or are you working on this, or something like that, don’t you think?
I mean…
Whoa.
Do you find that a lot of your coworkers are using this?
No, a couple.
And so you speak to them?
Oh, go ahead.
Well, no, I haven’t really talked to the folks who have used it. I’ve just sort of, I guess, made fun of them, and now I’m calling you.
Made fun of them in private.
And now they know what you think through the magic of radio.
Yeah, no kidding.
Well, I’ve got to tell you, Vic, I’ve heard it before, and it’s got a long history that doesn’t make me like it anymore.
Whoa.
You know, I think, ironically, Vic, efforting sounds like such a lazy word. It’s like you can’t put in the effort to come up with a better word.
Efforting.
Efforting.
Oh, nice.
She’s brandishing a meat cleaver as she talks.
I am.
I just…
Certainly a lot of nouns start out as verbs in English and vice versa.
Right.
It’s a natural part of word growth, word change.
Vic and Grant, are you bothered by texting?
No, not really.
Some people are, but I’m not.
What about you, Vic?
No, no, no.
And I don’t mind the slang you see on text and all that.
Right.
Abbreviations.
It’s fine.
What about accessing?
Sure, fine.
Grant’s fine.
Yeah.
Are you on the fence about accessing?
You know, I think I’m okay with that.
I mean, I think it’s okay.
Okay.
Friending?
Yeah, sure.
I’m okay with that.
Totally fine, yeah.
Gifting?
Yeah, fine with gifting.
Gifting?
Giving is better because the word is, both words, why not? You’re giving it.
But gifting does have its specific uses that aren’t the same as giving.
So, yeah, gifting can work.
What do you think?
I’ve seen some other words that I think are kind of cousins to efforting.
Okay, let’s hear them.
Like, you know, in the business world, you might see somebody say utilize instead of use.
Oh, yeah.
And then skill set is a way of saying, you know, these are my skills.
But these days they don’t even say skill set.
They say your bucket.
Your bucket?
Yeah, your bucket.
That’s new to me, by the way.
Yeah, that’s new to me too.
But it’s sort of like modality.
What in the heck is a modality?
Love it.
Love it.
I love that word.
Does it mean anything specific?
Yeah, exactly.
The point is you can put any meaning you want on it.
And efforting is kind of the same thing.
It’s like I’m not a fan of efforting.
And you’re probably right that it’s lazy, but what I love about it is they allow you to believe whatever you want about what they are and are not doing.
You could be efforting a photo because all you did was ask the guy in the chair next to you if he had one.
Or you could be efforting the photo because you went to Getty Images and paid $10,000 for the rights to the best photo ever, right?
There’s a lot of different ways to be efforting, and so I think it allows any kind of definition of that word to work.
So it’s probably because you’re not really doing your job.
I don’t know.
I’m just reading too much into this.
So efforting is a word for the Dilbert age, right?
But look, Google it.
Google the heck out of efforting and media uses.
It actually looks like it might be a term of art in media, particularly broadcast media.
That would be different.
Have you heard it that way, Vick?
You know, not really.
I mean, and working in media, I run across some of the jargon.
I mean, there’s plenty, like in any business.
Sure, yeah, yeah.
Efforting’s not one that I’ve heard, you know.
A lot of the old stuff like Spike or, you know.
Oh, sure, love that stuff.
PQ and stuff.
Those are great.
Your instincts are good here.
It’s to be avoided.
I would definitely take it out of your own vocabulary.
And learn how to cock a silent eyebrow at your coworkers when they use it.
Will do.
Just effort that, will you?
Thank you both so much.
Our pleasure.
Okay, bye-bye.
Call again.
Bye-bye.
Have a good day.
Bye.
Efforting users anonymous.
I would like to hear from the people who use that word and are proud of it.
What?
I’ll tell you what you’re going to get.
Crickets.
Crickets.
Crickets because everybody who uses the word efforting is too lazy to write us or call us?
Look, let’s not automatically call it lazy.
Let’s just say it’s a poor choice.
I’m calling it lazy.
Oh, okay.
Efforting.
Unless there’s some specific meaning that I don’t know.
Well, that’s what I’m saying because you don’t know.
Because you and I in business jargon, we’re okay with specific meanings, right?
Yes.
So we want to hear from you.
1-877-929-9673 or email us.
Effort us an email.
Is that the way you say it?
I don’t even know.
Terrible, terrible.
