“A lot of us think ... ”

Using phrases like “A lot of us think” can be an inflammatory way to hide your views behind the vague opinion of many others.

“It suggests, ‘We’ve all been talking about you behind your back.’ It also is usually vague about who ‘us’ refers to, which means that the person receiving the information can’t have a real conversation with the people who supposedly think what they think,” Gallaher said. “It is far more effective and more self-accountable for each person to speak for themselves.”