No, you didn’t “reach out”, you CONTACTED them

[eti]

What’s with this modern idiocy of having to force every simple, everyday action to make it sound like you’ve just graduated from some Dilbert school of business?

You didn’t “reach out” to them, nor did they “reach out” to you - you phoned/emailed/wrote to them. It shows how easily people are swept up by the waves of language and carried along by them. I despise these corporate bollocks phrases, because it’s abundantly clear that the motive behind using them is an act of vanity, and trying to “fit in” with the other lot.

Why? What is “wrong” with saying “he called me” - not impressive enough?

People are so very easily brainwashed, and even more easily impressed with themselves and how “clever” they sound. It simply had to have originated from these ghastly Americans. <sarcasm but also true>

I’d like to reach out and smack them on the nose, hah!

This is probably one of the few intelligent things I’ve seen on that virus which calls itself “LinkedIn”: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/20141020052253-64875646-50-things-you-must-stop-saying-at-work

Please forgive me for referencing the great unwashed, aka “Quora”, but this ”discussion” sums up how I feel, well, most comments in it do: https://www.quora.com/Why-do-people-use-the-term-reach-out-when-they-mean-contact-People-use-it-to-simply-mean-contact-someone-you-either-dont-know-or-havent-talked-to-in-a-while

I’m sure a few have seen this before, but it still stands proud and true: https://youtu.be/om7O0MFkmpw

🤣

[Ed.Kloonk]

I got in trouble once for responding to a colleague's  "Hi Ed, just reaching out regarding your ..[forgot]"

I included in the reply  "You can reach around anytime"

Should have seen the stinkin' letter I got from the general manager.

[paul@yahrprobert.com]

Very good rant, reminds me of George Carlin.

[xrunner]

Thanks for reaching out to us about this. 

[Ed.Kloonk]

Thanks for reaching out to us about this. 

 

We've been trying to reach you about your car's extended warranty.

[eti]

Thanks for reaching out to us about this. 

Oh youuuu! You complete joker!

🤪

[eti]

I’m just astounded at how easily people fall into this way of talking; it’s almost as if people don’t stop and listen to the words that come out of their mouths.

[Ed.Kloonk]

I’m just astounded at how easily people fall into this way of talking; it’s almost as if people don’t stop and listen to the words that come out of their mouths.

On the contrary. I think they think they sound cool.

[eti]

I’m just astounded at how easily people fall into this way of talking; it’s almost as if people don’t stop and listen to the words that come out of their mouths.

On the contrary. I think they think they sound cool.

You’re thinking outside the box in a new paradigm of vertical thinking, leveraging your assets.

🥸

[KaneTW]

Don't care. I'll just mirror whatever language the person I'm talking to uses.

[eti]

Don't care. I'll just mirror whatever language the person I'm talking to uses.

Have you no shame? 🤪

That’s pretty silly. You may like to set a higher standard by steering the person toward a better vocabulary. It’s this sheer laziness that causes the propagation of such piffle in language.

[james_s]

There are some things people say that annoys me, but none of it is as annoying as the self appointed language police that rant about it. English is a nearly universal language and there are regional dialects with their own quirks and colloquialisms all over, I don't see what the big deal is.

[eti]

There are some things people say that annoys me, but none of it is as annoying as the self appointed language police that rant about it. English is a nearly universal language and there are regional dialects with their own quirks and colloquialisms all over, I don't see what the big deal is.

I didn’t expect you to see, neither will opinion of this daft linguistic subset, alter, based on your views.

You dislike what you broad-brush as “language police”, yet it seems the fact that you want to police thought and opinion, utterly escapes you. I have my views and they’re hardly offensive, so please, if you disagree then okay that’s nice, and a fond farewell I bid you.

[tszaboo]

Nah, this is the perfect language to use:
"Thank you for reaching out with this job offer, but the Junior Firmware programmer is not an interesting position for me."

I think they just carpet bomb everyone with these code monkey jobs.

[Benta]

A small comment on the topic title here:

"Contact" is not a verb, it's a noun.
Using "contacted them" is WORSE than "reaching out".

Just sayin'.

[TimFox]

In English, “contact” can be a noun or a verb:  check any dictionary.

[Benta]

In English, “contact” can be a noun or a verb:  check any dictionary.

You're right, I trusted  Nero Wolfe more than the web.   

[Zero999]

Don't care. I'll just mirror whatever language the person I'm talking to uses.

There's nothing wrong with that if you're in an informal situation, but it's better to stick to standard English, in a formal setting.

[Ground_Loop]

My exact sentiments. My wife works for Deloitte and Touché consulting. We make great sport of analyzing the underlying meaning of their ridiculously over jargoned correspondence.

[Alex Eisenhut]

I don't know, let's ask Johnny Cash

Take second best
Put me to the test
Things on your chest
You need to confess
I will deliver
You know i'm a forgiver
CONTACT and touch faith
CONTACT and touch faith

Nope.

[schmitt trigger]

My cat is meowing at me constantly.

I believe he is reaching out for food.

[Ed.Kloonk]

Very good rant, reminds me of George Carlin.

Geez. He was just here a minute ago.

[eti]

I don't know, let's ask Johnny Cash

Take second best
Put me to the test
Things on your chest
You need to confess
I will deliver
You know i'm a forgiver
CONTACT and touch faith
CONTACT and touch faith

Nope.

One isn't singing a country and western song to one's business contacts.

[eti]

My exact sentiments. My wife works for Deloitte and Touché consulting. We make great sport of analyzing the underlying meaning of their ridiculously over jargoned correspondence.

A little creative transposing of letters, and we get  "Toilette and Douche"

[Cerebus]

In English, “contact” can be a noun or a verb:  check any dictionary.

"Any" dictionary?

CO'NTACT.
n.s. [contactus, Latin.]

Touch; close union; juncture of one body to another.

No verb. 

Actually I suspect the "verbing" of contact is relatively recent in general usage, probably some time during the 20th century. Maybe earlier in American usage  - if ever there was a country that loved to turn nouns into verbs it's North America. I'd need a few generations of paper dictionaries to prove when it became accepted.  To my ear the formulation "get in touch with" or "get in contact with" is natural sounding, contact as a verb less so. For what it's worth Strunk and White still condemn using contact as a verb, and I suspect it would cause Fowler apoplexy.

As a transitive verb, the word is vague and self-important. Do not contact people; get in touch with them, look them up, phone them, find them, or meet them.