101 Ways to Say "Excellent"

FOR THOSE DAYS WHEN YOU CAN’T THINK OF WHAT TO SAY
Courtesy of Arzella Dirksen, Founder, HelpCenter 4, KCNC Television

During a recession in Denver, unemployment was high. The local NBC news affiliate, KCNC, brought us into the nightly TV broadcasts to sponsor a call-in night for job hunters. I took eight or ten CareerLab® consultants and human resources executives to the station, and we answered questions on camera. Each night I did a standup with the reporter to describe our purpose. This was great publicity for us, and a wonderful community service.

The event was held in the HelpCenter, a community outreach founded by Arzella Dirksen, one of the first such programs in the nation. The idea was that viewers could call in with a wide array of consumer questions, and Arzella’s army of volunteers tried to help. Arzella invented this list of 101 Ways to Say “Excellent!” and posted it by each workstation.

It’s not complete, by any means, but it’s a good start toward inspiring yourself and everyone around you: family, friends, co-workers, even strangers. Take it for what it’s worth, pass it around, and add any kudos or praise that’s missing.

In reviewing the list, I see Arzella forgot “Awesome!” and “Totally Awesome!,” two expressions in favor now. Adding them brings the total to 103.

The Urban Dictionary gives us badass, gnarly, insane, kickass, rad, radical, sweet, and wicked; eight more. If we pair “totally” with each one, “totally badass,” “totally gnarly,” and so on, that’s another eight, bringing the grand total to 119.

This is fun, and the list could still grow, but when praising someone in my consulting work, I prefer to keep it simple: “That’s very nice. I’m proud of you.”

:: Return to index of articles