Creating Our Future with Organizations by Design

  No, not that type of language. Working with our coaching clients we often hear phrases used in describing their work that undermines the power of that work, and of the individuals themselves. Let me be clear:  It is incredibly important to be a good communicator at work. Whether you are working through a project with a large team or navigating a complicated issue at work, communication is key.  Do you apologize for sharing your idea? Add a tag at the end of your sentences? Use the words "just" or "feel"? Diminish your opinion by stating "I'm no expert..."? In their article for  WomensMedia ,  8 Tips for Fearless Communication in the Workplace , authors Victoria Simon, PhD, and Holly Pedersen, PhD talk about the effect of adding tag lines to our sentences. Women have a tendency to use ‘weak’ language that serves to water down their message. One example of weak language is using tag lines at the end of sentences. Examples of these are: “This is a great...

In my personal and professional life, I work with intention to be inclusive in my language. If I fail, I take correction. I advocate for institutions/organizations that I work with to do so as well. Everyone needs to feel that our public institutions, our systems, our “we” represents all of us.  Barbara Organizations by Design 1/22/2021 Update I've come back to add this piece: The occupant of the physical White House has changed — and of the digital one. Here’s one way whitehouse.gov has been revamped since the Biden administration took over: Pronouns The contact form on the website has sections for a person’s first and last name, email address, phone number and an optional category to include pronouns. Options include “she/her,” “he/him,” “they/them,” “other” and “prefer not to share.” Read more