[matwood]

I don't think it is unprofessional on face value. In fact, every 'professional (what does that even mean)' I have known curses.

If all you do is curse and never explain an idea, then it is simply a defense mechanism to not knowing what you're talking about. But, cursing is a great to way provide extra emotion to a topic. "The user experience is bad" vs. "The user experience is shit" does add value. But use shit, and if you add steaming pile on there really conveys that it is not just bad, but worse than bad.

[nercht12]

Neither example is very descriptive and thus not helpful. Using cusswords only puts the other people in an emotional frame of mind, which hinders rational thinking that would otherwise help correct the problem, but I suppose this also depends what exactly the discussion is about. If you're talking about a marketing campaign that is intended to appeal to emotion, then sure, "It sucks" conveys the emotion. If you're talking about packaging logistics, "It sucks" isn't any more helpful than "It's bad". Also, bear in mind that, depending on who you're talking to, some people may secretly harbor less respect from you. People notice when you cuss, esp. if you usually don't. It shapes their perceptions of you. That said, I do wonder how much tolerance society has for cussing now since many people are starting to accept it as normal. It's as if people are left with the emotional attachment without the actual meaning. How many people here thinking of what "fuck" actually means when they hear the word? Or are you just stuck with the negative connotation?