Let’s Circle Back to the Moment I Gave Up

From the Unmuted Memoirs™ Satire Series by Kate Henry, CPA, CMA, MBA

A Phrase So Overused, It Now Means Nothing

“Let’s circle back.” It sounds thoughtful. Strategic. Actionable. But really, it’s the workplace equivalent of muttering “uh-huh” while walking away. It is code for: “I want to drop this now and pray you forget.”

Popular Variations

• “Let’s revisit this next week.” (Never happening.)

• “We’ll loop back offline.” (We won’t.)

• “Let’s not get into that right now.” (I’m spiraling.)

• “Let’s table this for now.” (Let’s bury it forever.)

The Life Cycle of a Circlable Topic

1.   Raised in a meeting

2.   Nodded at with fake enthusiasm

3.   Circled back to once (reluctantly)

4.   Silently ghosted for eternity

What Happens When You Try to Actually Circle Back

• You are met with confused stares.

• The original conversation is now “out of scope.”

• Someone says, “Oh, I thought we closed that loop.”

How to Use “Circle Back” Like a Pro

✔️ Use it in every meeting to sound engaged.

✔️ Use it in emails to sound busy.

✔️ Use it in performance reviews when you forgot what your employee actually did.

Final Thought

If corporate life is a maze, then “let’s circle back” is the dead-end hallway we keep running into on purpose.

Unmuted Memoirs™: Giving you permission to never circle back again.

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