Yes, Word choice and Language do Matter

Yes, Word choice and Language do Matter

Years ago I read the statement, “Information informs us and eventually forms us.” If this is true, we need to be reflective when it comes to the information we are receiving and the language we choose to use as a result of the information we’ve received. Not only are we formed by the information, when we share that information we are helping form others.

The language I am talking about is not the blatantly racist, sexist, and other forms of derogatory language we hear about on national news; I am talking about the everyday figurative language we use with our colleagues and friends at work and at home. In this piece, I will reflect on three common figurative sayings we use. There are many more, but I figure three would be enough to start the conversation or reflective process.

“I worked like a slave.”
Recently, I was listening to a presentation on how hard a person had worked early in his life to build his business practice. He mentioned that it wasn’t unusual to work 80 hours a week. To capture the essence as to how hard he worked he used the simile, “I worked like a slave.” This sounds innocent enough and many have used this simile without thinking of its impact. However, many feel that using the word slave in this context significantly diminishes the brutality and inhumanity of slavery.

“I am starving.”
Another commonly used figure of speech is, “I am starving. I could eat a (insert large object).” Around the world, many have died from starvation and many are starving to death at this very moment. What most of us have experienced is some form of hunger. I say this with a level of confidence. If you are reading this piece, the chances of you ever having experienced some form of starvation are slim. The same reasoning above applies to this metaphor. When we co-opt the word “starving” we minimize the reality for people who are actually starving.

“Adjusting to life in the real world”
Currently, we have hundreds of thousands of veterans who have served and are now looking to make the transition out of the military. On a recent TV program about veterans making the transition from military life to civilian life, I was surprised how many times various people used the term adjusting to life in the “real world.” Basically, referring to civilian life and getting a job as the “real world.”

In the military, I don’t know how much more real you can get from serving, especially on the front lines. People are trying to kill you, IEDs and RPGs are going off around you, bullets are fired at you, you see friends die or wounded, etc.
To survive, military personnel have to make quick decisions amid chaos, process information quickly, many times without having all of the information they would like. They have to lead and follow guidelines in order to accomplish the tasks at hand. To me, this is as real as it gets.

So what is my point? My point is that when we label serving in the military as not being real-world experience, we diminish the skills learned by our veterans. It is as if the experiences have little or no value. It is not “real world” experience.

Veterans also need to reframe their military experience. The experience was real, probably too real in many cases. Many of the skills learned are transferable to the business community and other civilian opportunities.

So whether it is the three figurative examples I mentioned or others like, “a white lie,” “a man’s world,” “an Indian summer,” etc., I challenge you to reexamine your language patterns to see if you contribute to diminishing the experiences of others.

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Dr. Beekie is a consultant and a professor. His areas of interest include leadership development, diversity, emotional intelligence, change management, and communication.

Whether one agrees or disagrees with the thoughts and ideas expressed, I hope they provide a broader foundation for discussion. Dr. Beekie received his bachelor's degree in Business Administration and Organizational Communication from Concordia College, Moorhead, MN, master's degree in Intercultural Communication from North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND, and doctorate in Organization Development from the University of St. Thomas, Minneapolis, MN.