Comments on: So Sorry to Hear That You Were Impacted!

By: Hugh Ashton

Hugh Ashton — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 02:00:10 +0000

To me, “impact” is too often simple MBA BS for “result”, along with “leverage” for use.

By: Ed Buckner

Ed Buckner — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 14:39:24 +0000

I work in environmental management and the term “impact” is used very often. It has become synonymous with, even replacing, the word “affect.” “What is the expected impact on the environment from this project?” That makes it sound like catastrophe is expected, but the expected impact might be a 1.4% decrease in the woodchuck population in a four mile radius. ISO 14000 environmental management systems use impact as a clearly defined term, but I suspect it was an engineer, not a linguist, that chose the term. I don’t like it, but it is what we have.

By: Brad K.

Brad K. — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 01:19:10 +0000

The one I dread hearing is from the dentist. “Your left rear upper molar is impacted.” Drill, root canal, eek!

By: Precise Edit

Precise Edit — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 17:29:10 +0000

In grant writing and project evaluation, we ask the question “What is the impact of ___ on ___, and how will we measure the impact?”

This is a questionable use, I agree, but we understand what we mean: “What will change, and how will we know?”