Hey, America—why this massive, meaningless, middling overuse of “kind of” and “sort of” (aka kinda sorta) in public and private discourse? Like uptalk, that ubiquitous rising inflection that makes statements sound like questions, kinda sorta is the death blow to assertive statements in general and to business presentations in particular.
Below are just a few examples of the cultural trend that clouds even the simplest assertions with vagueness or evasion. I mean no disrespect to the folks I’ve quoted in this blog, who are merely representative of the growing millions who, occasionally or chronically, pointlessly water down factual statements with kinda sorta.
(You sure about that?) “I feel very kind of connected to Chicago in a lot of ways.”- actor Stacy Keach (Chicago ABC-affiliate interview)
(Only partly onstage?) “There’s no more relaxing feeling than sort of being onstage and making it work.” – satirist Andy Borowitz (NPR-affiliate WBEZ interview)
(Emily Dickinson was sort of one, too) “Adrienne Rich was an amazing sort of American poet.” – poet Roger Reeves (NPR’s Live Wire)
In the quotations above, kinda sorta casts doubt where there is none. It’s a form of hedging. To hedge is to be deliberately indirect or noncommittal, as in:
“I could be wrong, but …”
“The research suggests that …”
“There appears to be some indication that …”
“I suppose I could go out with you sometime.”
“I want to be, like, better at math.”
“I sort of know your wife.”
Hedging makes use of qualifiers, such as the italicized examples. Qualifiers are the go-to words for speculating, hinting at meanings, or dodging the truth. They enable us to say, in essence, “I can’t commit to what I’m saying.”
Listen to interviews on radio or TV, or your next casual or business conversations, and count how frequently kinda sorta’s are used to qualify indisputable facts (but don’t attempt this if you’re even slightly OCD or you’ll fry your brain in minutes). You might conclude, as I have, that the inability to be unequivocal has reached epidemic proportions — even though “might conclude” is itself a wimpy qualifier.
And it’s apparently not contained within our borders. Sir Michael Caine, for one, made it clear that the Hedging Epidemic has spread across the pond when he told the BBC he was “sort of certain” the UK should quit the EU.
“Certain” is one of those words rendered ridiculous when it follows kinda sorta. Here are a few similar absurdities:
Alignment Lite: “We are sort of aligned with the performance we are driving for our customers.” – Raviteja Dodda, Founder & CEO, MoEngage
Belief Lite: “Sort of like the guys at North Texas, we’ve had to kind of believe in ourselves …” Bobby Hauck, Rebels coach, University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Leadership Lite: “They worked together to sort of lead this movement.” –author Eli Saslow in NPR interview about white nationalist leaders Don Black and David Duke
Commitment Phobic: “I think the first thing that companies need to do is kind of commit to an identity that talks about a problem that they are going to solve …” Leslie Moeller, PwC Strategy Consultant
“But sometimes it takes the support of community to keep you kind of committed to it.” author and blogger Sahara Rose
“You’re not going to go out there every day and totally feel great, but you’ve got to kind of commit to your approach …” – Trey Mancini, Baltimore Orioles
Friend, if you’re not cringing from those examples you’re part of the problem.
In his poem, Totally Like Whatever, Taylor Mali asks, “Have we just gotten to the point that we’re the most aggressively inarticulate generation to come along since, you know … a long time ago?”
The answer, Mr. Mali, is yes. But as the quotations I’ve provided proved, kinda sorta is not limited to Millennials or the inarticulate.
Why, though, would anybody choose to convey uncertainty about something they are certain about?
Is it a fear of sounding cocky?
A terror of being pinned down to one’s statements, however benign?
A pressure to sound as vague, cautious, and noncommittal as everyone else?
A meaningless filler or verbal tic like “like,” “aah,” “umm,” and “you know”?
The answer, of course, is “any of the above,” given the person and context.
When not used to hedge, “kind of” and “sort of” are straightforward synonyms for “type,” as in “This is the kind/sort of behavior we’re trying to encourage.” They can also be a balm when you need to soften a reply. “I’m kind of busy right now,” would sound harsh without the qualifier.
Guessing and Abstractions
Kinda sorta is also appropriate when guessing or struggling to describe the abstract: “He’s sort of a cross between a Pekinese and a pit bull.” An interviewer on CBS Sunday Morning grasped at the elusive and esoteric when she asked her famous guest, “Do you remember when you, sort of, in your mind, ceased being Art Galien and became Tab Hunter?”
In a PBS NewsHour interview, trying to articulate the intangible threw Juliette Kayyem, a former Department of Homeland Security official, into spasms when she sputtered, “If we can just sort of take the sort of mysticism of cyber you know, sort of out of this … .”
Whew!
Irony and Understatement
Today, there is no surer way to convey dryness and sarcasm than inserting a well-placed kinda sorta:
“We kind of need to follow our contractual agreement.”
“I’m sort of invested in breathing.”
“I kind of need your keys before I drive your car.”
And you just have to admire this masterful piece of understatement from Senator Marco Rubio: “[Trump] engages sort of a diversity of opinions.” (NPR’s New Yorker Radio Hour)
Catch and Correct Yourself
Kinda sorta may be benign in casual conversations, but it’s a liability in job interviews and business presentations, arenas in which clarity and confidence count. “I’m sort of interested in a path to management” won’t get a second interview any more than “We are kind of focusing on innovation” will convince investors that your company is poised to win.
If, in a job interview you catch yourself using kinda sorta when describing your skills or goals—“I’m sort of a good problem-solver”—correct yourself …
“No – I am a good problem-solver. For example …”
In presentations, if you catch yourself minimizing your company’s capabilities or accomplishments with mushy statements like, “We’re sort of a leader in our market”—correct yourself …
“Correction. We ARE a leader in our market. Here’s why …”
Starting now, challenge yourself to speak with more precision. Commit to stating facts and assertions without the weakening of kinda sorta. You’ll not only feel the increased confidence that comes with directly saying what you mean, but you’ll be doing your part to end the Hedging Epidemic.