2014 List of Words that Wow For those of you wanting to use words to change the world, finding the best words can be super stressful. To get people excited about your work. To get them engaged in your mission. To turn them into super fans who want to make your organization the talk of the town. You want your words to wow! There are some good resources out there. Lake Superior State University has its Banished Words List. And, of course, there’s the American Dialect Society’s Word of the Year (because heck yeah!). But that still leaves the question of which words nonprofits should use/avoid. We created the following infographic so you would know exactly which words you should use, avoid and use sparingly or with caution in 2014. We’ll explain why each word is on the list in some follow-up posts. For now, print it out. Hang it up. And have fun using your words to wow!

1. 2014 List of Words that Wow
A guide to which words to use and not to use
if you want to change the world.
Never Use
These words are so
overused/poorly
used that they’ve
lost their meaning.
Avoid at all
cost.
Use With
Caution
Use these words
sparingly and be
sure to explain
what you really
mean.
Capacity-building, Innovate,
Provide, Raise Awareness,
Sustainable, Stakeholder
Advocate, Assets, Impact,
Inspire, Recognition,
Retention, We/ Our
Use Often
These words are
way under-used.
You’ll definitely
wow if you use
them more
often.
Better Verbs,
Words of Gratitude,
You/ Yours
#WordsThatWow
More on how to use your words to wow at
www.claxonmarketing.com!