The Power of Language in the Workplace

In nearly every aspect of our lives, communication is the key to dealing with others. This holds especially true in the workplace. Women have long held the tendency to speak in a way that gives grace to interactions. Simply put, we often try to leave some room for interpretation or comfort levels when we speak. From trying to sound apologetic to making yourself seem smaller and quieter, women have been brought up under the idea of needing to make themselves “less than” in order to not be a threat. Maybe it’s time to change that up.

Here are a few things we as women can start to work towards in how we speak in the workplace:

Less Apologizing and Undermining

We have an odd habit of popping the word “sorry” into our sentences, even when we don’t need to. This ends up coming across to others as you being less powerful or indecisive, which can harm your credibility in their eyes. When you say things such as “Sorry, but I don’t agree with you,” or “Sorry, but I don’t have time for this right now,” it basically equates to you apologizing for existing in that space. Watch your phrasing when engaging in conversation. You don’t need to apologize for having an opinion.

You also don’t need to undermine your own explanations. When you are giving a pitch, you shouldn’t end it with something like “Does that even make sense to you guys?” That makes you sound unsure of yourself. That leads to the next point we have.

Allow Yourself to Be an Expert

Imposter syndrome is real, and the words we use can either break that pattern or enforce it. If someone is entrusting a task to you over anyone else, guess what? You are the expert! You simply need to speak with authority and assurance. If you allow yourself to speak like a subject-matter authority, others will be more likely to follow your lead.

Learn to Say No

Saying “yes” to everything you are asked to do doesn’t make you a better employee, it just makes you a busier one. Women are able to take on so much at once that sometimes we don’t think before saying yes to someone asking for something. This leads to being stretched beyond our limits with tasks and responsibilities, meaning that we can’t truly do the job well. Learning to say “no” sometimes is s sign that you know your limitations. Boundaries are healthy, even in the workplace.

Minimize the Fillers

“Just,” “like,” and “um” are but a few fillers that we tend to use in everyday conversation. But do they belong in the workplace where you want to present yourself as an expert and a professional? Not particularly. Try to minimize the use of these filler words by staying direct with your messages, both online and in person.

These are just a small handful of examples of how we can change the language that we use in the workplace to empower ourselves rather than belittle. Words have power, so choose them carefully.