The Words We Use: Why we Need to Embrace More Powerful Language

If you’re like the high-achieving women entrepreneurs I work 1:1 with or feel so grateful to be surrounded by (there’s a lot of you amazing women in and around Guelph!!) you’ve built a successful business but still catch yourself saying things like "I think this could help..." or “I’m just starting out..." when deep down you know you deliver massive value.

It hit me this week, here’s the truth for us as women in business: the language you use is either elevating you or holding you back. You deserve to take up space.

And that space begins with the language you use when you communicate.

I had that happen to myself recently. I caught myself saying “sorry” in a meeting more times than I should have. I’m thankful I at least caught myself, but it hit me - what was that saying to the people in the meeting about my skillset and expertise?

So many women in business I know and end up working with, eventually tell me they don’t feel confident in sharing, selling or explaining what they do. It’s one of their major drawbacks as a business owner.

We don’t realize it, but we unintentionally undermine our expertise with soft, hesitant, passive language.

Instead of owning our brilliance, we hold back our true value with phrases like "I hope this makes sense," "I might be able to help," or "Sorry to bother you."

These subtle cues send the wrong message: that we’re unsure, lacking authority, or not fully confident in our offers. The result? Lost opportunities, lower sales, and a brand that doesn’t reflect the powerful leader and business owner you know you are (and can be!).

And we often find ourselves (and be honest about this!), judging other women who are more direct, assertive and straight to the point. It feels like we either are to ‘serving’ and empathetic in our language, or we’re too direct and aggressive in our language. It feels like there can be no in-between for us. And there can be.

How can we use one of our greatest strengths as women when we communicate – our empathy and emotional intelligence – and still be assertive and powerful in how we communicate our leadership?

As a woman selling what you do, growing/scaling a business, achieving goals you’ve set your mind to, the way you speak about yourself, your work, and your offers directly impacts your growth.

It’s why I want to see more women around me confidently communicating their leadership and authority. Here’s what I recommend we all start doing to empower ourselves through our very own language we use:

• Use Commanding Language: Swap "I hope you find this useful" with "Here’s what you need to know to grow your business." Speak like an expert because you are one.

• Own Your Wins: Celebrate and share client success stories with pride. When you speak confidently about results, you reinforce your authority and attract clients who are ready to invest.

• Drop the Disclaimers: Remove "just," "I think," and "sorry" from your business conversations. Say what you mean without minimizing it.

• Lead with Results: Instead of saying "I offer coaching for women," say "I help six-figure women entrepreneurs scale to seven figures with proven strategies that work." Don’t be embarrassed for sharing what it is you do and are good at.

As a business strategist working with powerhouse entrepreneurs every day, I see the transformation that happens when women step into their voice. Clients who start using more authoritative language in sales calls, on social media, and in their messaging. They attract more clients, more aligned opportunities fall in their lap, more speaking opportunities appear, and it becomes easier to sell their offers and products/services.

Oh, and studies also show that confident communication increases perceived competence and trust—essential elements for sales and leadership.

This is the arena I want to play in (have you read Daring Greatly by Brene Brown?!) – I want to see more women taking up space by communicating their leadership – and communicating it skillfully, strategically and masterfully.

I want to see you amplify your voice by embracing powerful language that is needed and necessary for you as a woman in business.