Empowerment

Articles

“Can’t Quit Saying ‘Um’ and ‘Ah’? Just Learn How to Use Them Better” | Quartz

• “Not only might filler words be inevitable, it’s possible they’re actually a useful part of our linguistic evolution. In fact, they might even be beneficial, at least according to some of the science.”

“Defending ‘Garbage Language,’ the Silly Corporate Terminology That Seriously Works” | Slate

• “Garbage language can also smooth the edges of difficult interactions or help people save necessary face…Why is it such a problem if we show compassion this way in a business setting?”

“Don’t Add Your 2 Cents” | Derek Sivers

• Keep your two cents if “your contribution is small and probably just a meaningless opinion… Let the other person feel full ownership of the idea, instead.”

“15 Texts You Can Send Someone Instead of Ghosting Them” | Thought Catalog

“5 Free Tools to Write Better Job Descriptions” | ONGIG

“5 Words and Phrases That Can Transform Your Work Life” | Fast Company

• “The good news…is that by swapping simple words and phrases for others we can quickly—and permanently—produce positive behavioral changes.”

“Good Conflict: The World Is Consumed by Violent Fights and Hostile Disagreements. Sarah Schulman Sees a Way Out of Them.” | New York

• The central insight in Sarah Schulman’s Conflict Is Not Abuse is that “people experiencing the inevitable discomfort of human misunderstanding often overstate the harm that has been done to them—they describe themselves as victims rather than as participants in a shared situation. And overstating harm itself can cause harm, whether it leads to social shunning or physical violence.”

“A Guide to Writing Recommendation Letters That Aren’t Sexist” | Quartz

“Hiring Managers, Here Are 4 Useful Tips to Create More Inclusive Job Descriptions” | Forbes

“How—and Why—to Reclaim Your Slurs” | Wear Your Voice

• Slur reclamation as a radical act
• Understanding who can reclaim

“How to Complain Constructively (and Get Results)” | Better

“How to Justify Your Love of Being a Freelancer” | Digaboom

• “I like the freedom and flexibility” and more go-to responses for friends (or strangers) who question your decision to be a freelancer.

“How to Support a Struggling Friend” | Psyche

• When offering emotional support to a friend, consider the context, including their personality, the role of culture, and the mode of communication (online vs. in person).

“How to Write an Apology (and Avoid Non-Apologies)” | Grammar Girl

“If You Say This During an Apology, You’re Doing It Wrong” | The Huffington Post

• Your word choice makes it obvious you’re #sorrynotsorry.

“Inoculation Theory: Using Misinformation to Fight Misinformation” | The Conversation

• “This strategy involves explaining the facts, followed by introducing a myth related to those facts. At this point, people are presented with two conflicting pieces of information. You reconcile the conflict by explaining the technique that the myth uses to distort the fact.”

“It’s Finally Time to Stop Correcting People’s Grammar, Linguist Says” | The Huffington Post

• “Language isn’t some delicate cultural artifact but an integral part of being human… Language—which all human societies have in immense grammatical complexity—is far more interesting than pedantry.”—Oliver Kamm, “reformed stickler” and author of “Accidence Will Happen”

“My Magic Response to ‘Hey, Can I Pick Your Brain?'” | Stacking Bricks

“9 Surprisingly Simple Ways to Get People to Respond to Your Email” | Fast Company

• Emails written at a third-grade reading level with simpler words and fewer words per sentence were considered optimal.

“Nine Words and Phrases to Avoid When You’re Negotiating a Salary” | Fast Company

“People Didn’t Used to Be ‘Consumers.’ What Happened?” | Grist

• Kate Raworth, author of Doughnut Economics, “writes that using words and phrases like neighbors, community members, and global citizens will be ‘incredibly precious for securing a safe and just economic future.'”

“The Psychological Power of Reclaiming Oppressive Language” | The Huffington Post

“Repossession: Reclaimed Slurs and Lexicography” | Harmless Drudgery

• The power of words to denigrate a group of people
• The riskiness of slur reclamation
• The impossibility of adequately capturing a slur’s usage in a dictionary

“The Simple Secret to Winning Any Argument, According to a Harvard Psychologist” | Mic

• Part of conscious language is knowing when to say nothing.

“Stop Saying ‘Sorry’ If You Want to Say Thank You: A Seriously Insightful Cartoon” | Bright Side

“Strong Language: Swearing Makes You Stronger, Psychologists Confirm” | The Guardian

“Talking About Failure Is Crucial for Growth. Here’s How to Do It Right.” | The New York Times

“10 Course Policies to Rethink on Your Syllabus” | The Chronicle of Higher Education

“10 Tips on Receiving Critical Feedback: A Guide for Activists” | Medium

“They, Them, Theirs? The Push for Going Gender-Neutral in the Workplace” | CNNMoney

“Three Painless Scripts to Free Yourself of Problem Clients” | Nick Reese

“Three Questions to Ask Instead of Saying ‘Nice Job’” | Fast Company

• “Saying ‘Great!’ doesn’t tell the person what they did or why it worked. Yet, when we criticize someone, we get very specific about what they’re doing wrong. Why not take the same approach with giving praise?”

“27 Alternatives to Asking ‘Is This Okay?’” | Asking for What You Want

• “You need different, more precise questions to ask, ones that actually get at the thing you want to know.”

“The Ultimate Guide to Saying No to Things You Don’t Want to Do” | Fast Company

• “Sometimes people say yes when they’re caught off guard.”

“Using Collaborative Language Is Essential in Times of Crisis” | Fast Company

• “Using the word ‘together’ is a powerful way of building a community.”

“What Happened When I Started Saying ‘Not Yet’ Instead of ‘No'” | Fast Company

“White Reporters: It’s Time to Pop Your Parachute and Share Your Byline” | Scalawag

“Why I Don’t Shield My Team From Bad News” | Fast Company

• On transparency as a core value.

“Why I’m Saying Goodbye to Star Ratings in My Restaurant Reviews” | The Washington Post

• “Restaurants merit more than a symbol to sum them up. Words allow for nuance. Stars, not so much.”

“Why Questions (Good and Bad) Matter” | The Conversation

• “Asking questions is not just for kids or students or philosophers. Everybody needs to inquire critically and to be tolerant of the apparent ignorance of others.”

“Why the C-Word Is So Taboo, and Why Some Women Want to Reclaim It” | The Washington Post

“Why You Should Put a Little More Thought into Your Out-of-Office Message” | Harvard Business Review