Kindness Pays & the Power of Language

It’s a cliché, a smile and a kind word go a long way.

Kindness interests me. It’s fascinating to see how people transform when a kind word or gesture creates a sense of safety.
Part of my work is doing research and designing learning material for my clients, so that they get to use English confidently. Creating material around Mindful Leadership led me to discover the work of Christine Porath. She’s a leadership researcher, who believes we need to be respectful to our coworkers if we’re looking to get ahead in our career.

Yet, there’s a contagious bug we can catch and transfer to others: incivility or in simple terms, disrespect or rudeness. It includes a lot of different behaviours, from mocking or belittling someone to teasing people with offensive jokes at work.

Have you experienced incivility at work?

I bet you have, and so have I. As a linguist, I’m interested in how we use words to put our opinion and views across, even when we’re exposed to incivility. It’s not easy to deflect disrespect, especially at work.
Over 10 years ago, I vividly recall walking into this big building. I spent 2 years going to work every day and hearing things from my boss about my appearance, my work, my education (Swiss diplomas have higher standards). My boss’s job was “to highlight the negative side of things, for improvement”.

So I did the natural thing. When my contract ended, my mission was to create a safe space, where kindness, empathy and clarity are present. That’s how ProEnglish was born.

Best Friends

Confidence and kindness are interconnected. You can’t have one without the other. What happened since becoming an independent English Coach, I have witnessed amazing transformations from the people who trusted in my work. Working with them, I can see how powerful respect is, how it can lift language blockages, how it can bring clarity and motivation.
I agree with Porath “civility lifts people”.
If we want to be more productive, creative, helpful, happy and healthy, we need to create more civil environments.

What if English isn’t your native language?

When personalities and cultures come together, creating a common language of politeness can be challenging. For example, the British “no” is hard to read if you’re not familiar with the language and the culture. Misunderstandings may happen, frustration to communicate follows and impolite language can be often the result.
As an expat myself, I know first-hand how vital it is to be able to decode another language, understand it and use it with confidence for clear and effective communication.

Looking to upgrade your English and understand how to use it in a way that brings the best out of everyone? Get in touch with me, I would love to help.