Citing insurer sensitivity to certain words, Insure.com recently advised policyholders to avoid using five particular words when discussing a claim with an agent or a claim adjuster. The goal of the piece, according to Kat Zeman, the article's author, was not to promote fraud or lying, but rather to avoid a battle “that could slow down or scuttle an otherwise legitimate insurance claim.”

Zeman said that these words often conjure up images of a claim that should be denied based strictly on semantics. Which five words were flagged? They were “Flood,” “Experimental,” “In my opinion,” “Sorry,” and “Whiplash.” (Forgive the writer for slipping in a phrase instead of just sticking to words.)

As we all know, however, there are two sides to every story. So what are some of the words and phrases that adjusters should avoid using when interacting with policyholders? I posed the question in two LinkedIn discussion groups to which I belong — P&C Claims Professionals and Insurance Property Claims Executives — and received a flurry of interesting and thoughtful responses. (For those of you who have yet to discover LinkedIn, think of it as a Facebook-type site for careerists.) Here are the five most popular themes and phrases that claim professionals deemed inappropriate when handling losses.