The Harm of Inflating Language

Hello all,

I'm sharing another great tip from the Better Allies website, and as always, I encourage you to visit and then subscribe to Karen Catlin's weekly email tips.

This one is focused on inflating language, which I've certainly used. Like when I call a work disruption a "disaster" or a bad budget "an impossible situation", or telling my son he's "on my last nerve!"

That's no fun for anyone relying on me to get things done, and it increases my sense of helplessness rather than positioning me to better handle situations. So I'd like to stop doing that!

But applied to people, inflating language can cause real harm.

Something we really need to stop doing!

So read on friends...

" I regularly learn from my friend and inclusive language expert, Dr. Suzanne Wertheim. Today, I want to focus on what she wrote about Inflating Language, a linguistic distortion that creates serious problems in the workplace.

Inflating language is when someone describes perfectly appropriate behavior so that it seems inappropriate or threatening — for example, calling someone “intimidating” for just working at their desk without smiling. Or saying someone is “aggressive” for politely disagreeing with a colleague.

As Wertheim wrote, “In my data collection, I’ve found that inflating language is applied most frequently to Black people and to female people, especially Black women.” She went on to explain, “These distortions affect hiring decisions, everyday interactions, work assignments, promotions, and more.”

Let’s look out for inflating language in our workplace. Ask, “What makes you say that?” to get someone to confront their bias."

All the best,

Holly