The Language of Trust

You’ve no doubt noticed that in certain workplaces the language tends to be… salty. Typical places you hear the banter become blue are dockyards, construction sites, and of course the House of Commons. In my summer jobs as a youth working as a labourer and truck driver in the oilpatch, I noticed that profanity became such a common habit (including for me I have to admit) that lots of guys just used the F-word as a universal adjective because it was easier than thinking of something more descriptive. That’s the problem.  These days swearing is so common it comes across as lazy language. Swearing around customers and coworkers says a lot: we are oblivious to the other person’s possible sensibilities, we aren’t intelligent enough to choose a more appropriate word, and we don’t exactly exude class. Becoming a trusted advisor is also about what you chose not to say.