Does Therapy Speak Belong in the Workplace?

As recently reported on Inc.com, two-thirds of American workers say they’ve experienced therapy-speak at work. Harris Pollsters define this communication style as empathetic and vague, as it often misses the mark or the appropriate follow-through.

When she divorced her husband, actress Gwyneth Paltrow used the therapy speak of “conscious uncoupling,” which, after lots of mocking, she translated to clarify: We just want to be nice to each other and stay a family.

Other examples of therapy-speak include: “We understand your point of view,” “This is a growth opportunity,” and “We understand that this may be challenging.”

The problem?  Employees simply are not buying it. 79 percent of American workers say that workplace communication strongly impacts how they feel about their jobs.  However, 57 percent say that therapy-speak makes them resent leaders and managers as the communication feels disingenuous.

Jill, What Can I Do?  Overwhelmingly, people prefer genuine and honest communication, so it’s up to leaders and managers to be open, truthful, transparent, and real when interacting with employees.  If communication is an issue in your organization, seek training.  Here’s a list of the 10 most popular communication courses of 2023.