Transcription
I once watched a senior director brief her team before a client meeting. Now, she started well. She was clear and composed. And then she said, "I may be wrong, but could we possibly look at this option? Maybe." And you could see the room's confidence drain.
People often imagine that that kind of hedging sounds polite or collaborative. It doesn't. It sounds like doubt or incompetence. I've seen people undermine themselves in conversation without even realizing it, more times than you can imagine.
They believe they're being polite, collaborative, or respectful, but their language reveals nothing more than insecurity. They turn statements into questions like, "We could possibly look into that." And they constantly ask for reassurance with phrases such as, "Does that make sense?" Status is removed the moment your language asks for permission to exist.