To Be Honest… or not

To be honest…. I abhor this statement, and why-oh-why do the youth I speak to weekly have this clause as a normal and regular part of their jargon?

I meet with approximately 3 or 4 recent college graduates per month to assist them with their job search, internships, shadowing, etc. I would say 9 out of 10 use the phrase as a very familiar communication insert. I usually don’t stop them mid-sentence, but at the meeting’s end, I do ask them what they think I think when they say this… Some get it right away while others are clueless.

I ask all of them who introduced this phrase to them and no one can tell me. What do they think I, or any dialogue partner is going to think, when they insert this phrase prior to responding to a question presented? Should I discount everything else they have said to me prior to them saying this? I have deduced that it is a filler.

Once I’ve shared my thought process, they smile and nod. What I don’t know is if they take my advice and eliminate this phrase from their communication style? I certainly hope so because, to be honest, if they don’t, I think their job opportunities will be weaker.

Do you have a pet peeve in dealing with the youth in our industry? Share it, so that together, we can all help make them better?