Update (April 5): "Thought leader" has defeated "leverage" to win PR News' Most Overused PR Words & Phrases Tournament.

Take a look at the final bracket below.

Have you leveraged any assets lately? When was the last time you circled back on a deliverable? Chances are it wasn't at the end of the day, since you might have been out of pocket, too thrilled about an innovative product announcement.

PR pros know they need to be vigilant about avoiding hackneyed, empty words and phrases like the ones that litter the preceding paragraph. Even if they know better and pluck them out of copy, senior leaders and clients will sometimes ask them to get that "innovative" back in there. Whether they appear in a press release, presentation, social media post or just a regular meeting, vague words and cliches cloud meaning and do nothing to improve the standing of public relations.

In the spirit of the NCAA men's basketball tournament, PR News hosted its own version of March Madness with its Most Overused PR Words & Phrases Tournament.

Take a look at the completed bracket below, and download a printable .PDF of the bracket here.

Follow Brian Greene on Twitter: @bw_greene