Better Communication for Stronger Connections

Dee

Good afternoon, everyone. My name's Dee Watson. I'm the HR administrator for Geotechnical Consultants, also known as GCI. I joined GCI in 2019. In 2023, I expanded my involvement with GBA by joining the Inclusion Advancement Group, and I'm happy to be a participant in my second GBA podcast. Thank you for having me

Rob

Thank you, Dee. Hey, Margaret, how are you doing today?

Margaret

Great. Thanks, Rob. My name is Margaret Panatera. I am a civil environmental engineer for GZA GeoEnvironmental. I am sitting in the Chicago office, and I've been participating in the Geoprofessional Business Association since the late 20-teens, and really excited to be here and explore this conversation

Rob

Awesome. We're glad to have you back, Margaret. Hey, Kent. How are you doing this afternoon, brother?

Kent

I'm doing great. My name is Kent Bannister. I'm the president and CEO with, Trek Engineering out of Winnipeg, Canada. I guess I should mention I'm also a board member for the GBA.

Rob

Yes, you are. Thank you, Kent, for, giving us your time this afternoon . I'm Rob Howard with Geotechnology Associates again. I am a licensed geotechnical engineer, and I currently am principal in charge of our Philadelphia office. In our first podcast, we discussed the shared responsibility of communication, how speakers and listeners both contribute to conversations grounded in respect, curiosity, and positive intent. We also recognize that misunderstandings will happen, but they do not have to lead to blame when we approach them with an openness and a willingness to learn. Today's episode focuses on word choice, while adapting to evolving language norms matters, how we can reduce misinterpretation before it becomes conflict, and how to move through discomfort with new terminology, and how inclusive communication supports collaboration. Let's get into it with our first question. Language and workplace expectations continue to evolve. Why is adaptability an important part of professional communication in exclusive leadership?

Kent

Want to go first? If not, I, I apparently like to jump in if I remember from our first podcast.

Rob

ahead and jump in

Kent

to me, adaptability is an important part, because you have to be able to adjust depending on whoever you're talking to's needs. Everybody is going through something at some point in their life, and being able to adjust to, to help them get through if they're having an issue or something like that is always important

Rob

Right. It's understood

Margaret

we talk about evolution and adaptation in our professional careers and Evolving and adapting our communication styles and our inclusivity and our leadership styles is just another professional avenue. You know, we evolve and adapt in our technologies and the tools that we use in our interactions with other people, sometimes in accountability and even expectations. So the adaptability in how we communicate with other people and create that openness, create those relationships is really important. Realistically it's another avenue of that evolution and adaptation that's expected of us in our professional careers.

Rob

And I think it's important that it does become an expectation. So Dee, based on what Margaret and Kent said, how can we approach this with curiosity and not resistance?

Dee

For me, learning and adapting to new terminology and new ways of having more inclusive speech is just part of personal and professional growth. I think any type of change can make someone feel unfamiliar, and so I guess I try to focus more on the understanding and, take these as learning moments, stay open to feedback and, learning from mistakes rather than feeling offended by someone, what someone might be saying, especially if it's a learning moment on my part.

I tend to go through this quite a bit with my adult children who are in their early 20s. They'll correct me often. When I was reading through our content, one term that kind of stuck out to me that I think for years was really acceptable, and now maybe not so much, is using the term man-hours. For years and years, that was just an acceptable term to use, to track labor hours. Now thinking that while we're really excluding women in when we use the term man-hours, we're excluding women and maybe other classifications of people, and so maybe a better term to use now might be person-hours.

So it's just things like that, being open to actually learn and from whatever moment, and just listening to other people's perspectives just can lead to more respectful conversations.

Rob

I think that's awesome, Dee. We do set the tone as leaders by just demonstrating our openness and our continuation to learn. And, being able to move forward with these terms and being able to move forward this language produces that growth. And that growth often happens when we're willing to engage in respectful conversations that challenge our assumptions, and one of those assumptions are man-hours. Let's move to the next question. In your experience, what causes most workplace misunderstandings? Kent, in your experience, what causes most workplace misunderstandings?

Kent

Well, it's always communication, but I think, one of the things that causes a lot of the conflict and misunderstandings can just be the assumptions that you make about where someone else is coming from. The number of times I've had someone, you know, say something that you immediately jump to, "Oh my gosh, what are they thinking? Why are they doing that?" And then you've kind of set this whole narrative in your back of your head, "Oh, they're being lazy," or they, they just don't wanna travel or something like that. And then you talk to them, and it turns out there's a really legitimate reason. So I think it's going into conversations with an open mind and making sure that you understand where that person's coming from before you start thinking the worst.

Rob

I agree with that. And like you said, assumptions are often the root cause, and especially when, somebody delivers something in a tone that we misinterpret. What do you think about this, Margaret? In your experience, what causes most workplace misunderstandings?

Margaret

Definitely agree with Kent's assessment of, assumptions being a significant, , driver of the misunderstandings. And then, , sort of expanding on what he said, people's quick reactions instead of being calm, taking a breath, trying to understand or ask a question, but reacting quickly. And then also in my personal experience, I feel like a lack of listening on my part or on the part of somebody I'm talking to can create those misunderstandings or a wider gap in the misunderstanding.

And if we're willing to open our ears as much as we open our mouths, then maybe we can sort of narrow that gap a little bit better.

Rob

And that's understood. You know, sometimes we choose to hear what we wanna hear and not actually what is being said, and we don't get the opportunity to hear what's behind the words and get the message that is actually being portrayed. We hear what we wanna hear. So I'll throw it to you, Dee. What are some practical ways to clarify meaning before a misunderstanding can return to frustration?

Dee

Yeah. In my experience, most workplace misunderstandings, they're not coming out of bad intentions. So I think the most important thing is to, like Margaret stated, pausing and not being reactive. Ask clarifying questions, and then just making sure that you're on the same page, before moving forward. And yes, focus on active listening. And I think what's really important is to assume positive intent. Again, getting back to I think it's really easy , if you feel like someone's tone, like Rob said, tone is so important, and if you feel like something, someone has been really, I don't know, abrupt in their tone, it can be really easy to just be offended by it.

So I think using clarifying statements like, "Hey, let's make sure we're on the same page," or something like that can just change the whole tone of the actual conversation which can keep it from moving forward into just the misunderstanding continuing and maybe, you know, rolling into a discussion that you don't wanna have .

Rob

And to close that loop, when you talk about those clarifying questions, can you help me understand? And that way you're letting whoever you're communicating with telling you, "Hey, get me to that place so we're on the same page," as you said. " Let me make sure I'm following you." And that way you give the opportunity, if you did miss something, maybe to get something, on the pickup that you can get on the other side.

But I don't want us not to communicate because we're scared to ask the question because maybe our listening skills are not where they should be. So let's give the conversation an opportunity to grow and mature and give ourselves the opportunity to hear what is being said. Okay. Very good. Thank you very much. So I have another one. What can leaders do to create an environment where everyone feels comfortable asking questions and sharing ideas? Hey, Margaret, can we start with you on this one?

Margaret

Sure. Yeah. , I love, Dee's discussion about tone, and I think leaders have to set the tone. And, you can have an open door policy, you can encourage people to follow up or give feedback, explicitly seek feedback and ideas from other people, maybe have open forum discussions with your team. And then, another way that you can set the tone is to be curious yourself and sort of model that behavior for the team

Rob

That's awesome. Thank you, Margaret. And Dee, you wanna follow up on that same question? What can leaders do to create an environment when everyone feels comfortable asking questions and sharing ideas?

Dee

Yeah, I think leaders can create an environment to make people feel comfortable by asking questions and sharing ideas by, number one, being approachable, and also being intentional about inviting input from other people. I know that, I can say from experience almost all the leadership at GCI, they all have an open door policy. We have very few offices in our company that actually have a door. I have a door. Our president does not have a door. Our CEO does not have a door. And I think that makes them very approachable. I think one thing too is asking open-ended questions. If you are in an environment with a bunch of team members, a leader asking, " what are your thoughts?"

Or, "What do you think?" And then actively listening when that team member is responding is gonna show them that their ideas really, really matter. And I think that's just gonna, you know, show more of a culture where employees see that their questions are not only welcomed, but their ideas matter, and that's gonna make them more likely , to wanna share what they're actually thinking.

Rob

Thanks, Dee. When you talk about the word culture, , I'll throw it to you, Kent. Is it our responsibility to create that environment, that culture? Does it start with us?

Kent

Absolutely. You have to model the behavior you would like to see in others, right? So, however you behave, you're gonna see people around you behave in a similar fashion, particularly if you're coming from a leadership position. I think along with that, you know, it's trying not to, to show emotion, approach things with a level head so that, it gives people , a safe feeling when they come and talk to you is, is an important thing to, to do as well.

But 100% it comes down to, to leadership walking the walk.

Rob

And to your point, Kent, leaders model communication habits that become the cultural norms. So if we set the table, I think that's the way it's going to be, but we need to be proactive, and create that environment and open up the discussion, open up the questions, open up the the table for everyone to get involved and have a voice. So let's go with the 30-second final thought. If you could leave our listeners with one reminder about inclusive communication, what would that be? Dee

Dee

My reminder would be that inclusion isn't created through a one-stop shop or just a single interaction. We have to be having these conversations every day. And I think the way we respond to questions and how we acknowledge team members' contributions, and if we're inviting different perspectives, to our team members, I think that just sends a powerful message, about whether people feel like they actually belong.

So again, I think it's gotta be a part of everyday conversations, and that's gonna lead to incorporating that, and it just becomes a natural, organic way to, have a part of your actual culture, your actual company culture.

Rob

I think that's amazing because it's not forced. It's the everyday conversation. It's the norm. It's how we communicate at home. It's how we communicate at the workplace, and it's how we communicate in all our interactions. Kent, if you could leave our listeners with one reminder about their inclusive communication, what would it be?

Kent

I think it's just always keep an open mind and go with the assumption that whatever people are saying, they're coming from a good place. Everyone's basically motivated to be doing a good job. As long as you remember that, everything else can kind of just become background noise.

Rob

Awesome. Thanks, Kent. Margaret, what do you think

Margaret

I think that, the reminder that I have is to be active and be present, be humble in your thoughts and in your interactions. Keep trying intentionally and acknowledge when you fall short, but keep trying. Keep encouraging other people to keep trying intentionally. And, hopefully the personal growth that people see in you can be a spark for others' willingness for their own personal growth.

Rob

I think that intention where our mindset is, is what really sets the table. Well, there we have it, another thoughtful and practical conversation with an engaged, realistic, and in-touch panel. Today's discussion reminds us that effective communicators continue learning, stay curious, and choose words with care. Our language choices can strengthen trust, reduce unnecessary friction, and help people feel respected and included. As leaders and colleagues, we all play a role in modeling communication habits that support understanding, learning, and productive collaboration, even when we do not agree on everything. I would like to thank our panelists for their time, perspective, and commitment to the Geoprofessional Business Association and our Inclusion Advancement Committee. Your leadership in advancing inclusive language and intentional communication truly makes a difference. Thanks to GBA, to our listeners, to everyone working to communicate with greater clarity, curiosity, and respect. We'll see you next time.