{"id":9187,"date":"2026-04-27T15:14:50","date_gmt":"2026-04-27T22:14:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/safecarebc.ca\/?post_type=info-sheet&p=9187"},"modified":"2026-05-12T09:13:21","modified_gmt":"2026-05-12T16:13:21","slug":"words-matter","status":"publish","type":"info-sheet","link":"https:\/\/scbcdev.safecarebc.ca\/?info-sheet=words-matter","title":{"rendered":"Words matter"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Small shifts for a safer, stronger team<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Why words matter <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Every day, the words you choose act like seeds in a garden. Choose a \u201cflower\u201d\u2014a respectful, clear word\u2014 and you build trust. Choose a \u201cweed\u201d\u2014a judgment or a label\u2014and you create a space where it is hard for a healthy team to grow. Communication is a skill that everyone can practice and improve. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Four tools for better conversations<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
    \n
  1. Use strength-based language
    <\/strong>Focus on what is going well and the effort being made, rather than only pointing out what is missing. \n
      \n
    • Instead of<\/strong>: \u201cWhy is Mrs. Smith still in her room? She should be ready for breakfast.\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Try saying<\/strong>: \u201cYou\u2019ve done a wonderful job getting so many residents ready. I really appreciate how organized you are on such a busy morning.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Be objective and descriptive
      <\/strong>Describe exactly what you see without labelling a person or assuming their motives.\n
        \n
      • Instead of<\/strong>: \u201cHe\u2019s so lazy and never does his work.\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Try saying<\/strong>: \u201cI notice that when phones are out during team meetings, some people\u2019s attention seems to be elsewhere.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n
      • Practice \u201cI\u201d statements
        <\/strong>Focus on your own experience to take the blame out of the conversation. This helps others listen without becoming defensive. The Structure: \u201cI feel\u2026 when\u2026 because\u2026\u201d \n
          \n
        • Instead of<\/strong>: \u201cYou can never be on time. You\u2019re being inconsiderate.\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        • Try saying<\/strong>: \u201cI feel frustrated when we can\u2019t start on time. It makes it harder for me to stay organized and support the team.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n
        • Validate their experience
          <\/strong>Acknowledge that someone else\u2019s feelings are real to them, even if you see the situation differently.\n
            \n
          • Instead of:<\/strong> \u201cYou\u2019re overreacting. It\u2019s not a big deal.\u201d<\/li>\n\n\n\n
          • Try saying<\/strong>: \u201cI can understand why that feels frustrating, especially with everything else on your plate.\u201d<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n
              <\/ul>\n\n\n\n

              Talking ABOUT people <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

              How we talk about colleagues when they are not in the room shapes our team culture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

                \n
              • Choose curiosity over judgment: If a colleague leaves exactly at the end of their shift, don\u2019t assume they don\u2019t care.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
              • Ask \u201cWhat else might be true?\u201d: They might have a second job, a child to pick up, or an elderly parent to care for.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
              • Generous language: When we talk about people generously, we create a space for generosity to come back to us.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

                Quick daily checklist<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
                  \n
                • Did I catch one judgment today and replace it with a question?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                • Did I notice something a teammate did well and tell them?<\/li>\n\n\n\n
                • If I felt frustrated, did I use an \u201cI\u201d statement instead of a \u201cYou\u201d statement? <\/li>\n\n\n\n
                • Am I speaking to people\u2019s strengths?<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

                  Workplace communication improves when teams use strength-based language, I statements, objective words, and curiosity to build trust.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":9188,"template":"","tags":[],"audience":[118],"topic":[236,398,209,409],"class_list":["post-9187","info-sheet","type-info-sheet","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","audience-audience","topic-civility-and-respect","topic-communication-2","topic-organizational-culture","topic-phs-days"],"acf":[],"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/scbcdev.safecarebc.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/info-sheet\/9187","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/scbcdev.safecarebc.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/info-sheet"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/scbcdev.safecarebc.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/info-sheet"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scbcdev.safecarebc.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/9188"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/scbcdev.safecarebc.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=9187"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scbcdev.safecarebc.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=9187"},{"taxonomy":"audience","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scbcdev.safecarebc.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Faudience&post=9187"},{"taxonomy":"topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scbcdev.safecarebc.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftopic&post=9187"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}