Out, Damned “Out”

The pandemic may be over, but it created another scourge that’s spreading like wildfire in the business world: the superfluous “out” used with “share.”

“We’ll share out the PowerPoint deck after this meeting.”

“I can share my notes out with the rest of the team.”

Here, let me help you:

“We’ll share out the PowerPoint deck after this meeting.”

“I can share my notes out with the rest of the team.”

There, fixed them for you!

“Share” — in this sense — implies a distribution.

And there’s not a “share in”… right? So there’s no need for the “out.”

I don’t think I ever heard “share out” before the lockdown started. Maybe because everyone was cooped up IN their basement office, the “out” represented a desire to break down the new barriers… but hearing it is like nails on a chalkboard for me.

I won’t rest until “share out” has been eradicated. And the only known cure is raising awareness. If you hear someone using the term “share out”… ask them to restate the sentence without the “out.” (They’ll hate you for being a pedant, but such is the price we pay for better grammar.)

Remember, just “share” is enough…

(Unofficial spokesperson for the committee to stop the use of “share out”)