Tone and words: Use accurate language

It might be surprising to you that an organization known for cutting edge technology cares so much about something as soft and abstract as language and how it makes people feel — and that’s exactly why we’re sharing these tips. Everyone has the potential to be brave, audacious, and radically creative, but we often put ceilings on ourselves with min

We can think of this broadly as an attempt to avoid the language of “no.” In the performance art of improvisation, the first advice is that when someone starts a scene, you should respond with “yes, and . . .” “Yes” means you are accepting the construct of the situation. “And” means you are adding to it. That’s an excellent guideline in any situati

The sceptical person will be drawn to deploying softening, tentative language and holding back on criticism wherever possible. They will suggest that an idea might not be quite right. They will say that a project is attractive but that it could be interesting to look at alternatives as well. They will consider that an intellectual opponent may well

Some words—like “attractive,” “ugly,” “good,” and “bad”—carry judgments that are obvious. But be careful with words like “inappropriate,” “should,” or “professional.”

When these words are used as exaggerations, they often provoke defensiveness rather than compassion. Words like frequently and seldom can also contribute to confusing observation with evaluation.

think slow: “to doubt, hesitate, qualify.”