There are some words that seem to have a better effect than others. Here are a few that come to mind:

Develop – Anytime something is in the process of getting done, it’s developing. This is a good word for something that there is no progress happening whatsoever. It sounds like an action word but is really just a stall word.

“Tom, can you update me on the status of this project?”
“Sure, it’s in the development stage and we’ll have some results shortly.”
“Keep up the good work.” Dictate – Actions that force other actions to occur is where dictate comes into play. This is another good word to explain why things are happening the way they are.

“Tom, why are sales down?”
“The competition is dictating our price level which is hurting sales.” (Notice that this says nothing about any other possibilities like poor advertising, lack of salesman motivation, or weak product, it’s clearly the competition)

Pigeon-holed – Anytime someone is being narrow-minded just tell them that they can’t pigeon hole their thinking. I looked up what it meant in the dictionary and it is seems to mean to place in a small compartment. Basically not being open.

“Tom, we need to devote all our time to selling big box #1.”
“Let’s not pigeon hole our thinking and keep out mind open to other opportunities.”

Next time you find yourself in conversation remember these words and let me know how they turn out.