Issue link: https://www.massageandbodyworkdigital.com/i/1488451
It's exhausting and counterproductive. And we're doing the same thing in massage therapy. Experienced therapists talk over newer ones. Therapists who "do ortho work" talk over those who "just do relaxation massage." The list goes on. We find ourselves trying to connect the dots between what another therapist said to a client who is now on our table and what that client thinks they heard. We know massage therapists make inaccurate statements and we know clients hear things differently than we intend. We also know we're all using the same words to mean different things. So, how do we close these gaps? My friends, it's not a competition. The competition is pain. Discomfort. Limited function. We are all working to address these things in different ways, described with both different and similar words. When we engage with each other, we have an incredible opportunity to teach and to learn. Some people are impressed when we use words they don't understand. Jargon makes us stop listening or reading, and dampens any desire to connect, ask, or learn more. We just move on. When we share our knowledge with clients and use words they don't fully grasp, we support the erroneous notion that we know more than they do about their bodies—or at least that they need us to make sense of them. They give over some power, quite by accident, when we describe a phenomenon in their body with words they don't know. And we miss the opportunity to truly connect with a colleague about our work if we leave them in the dust with our modality-specific jargon. There's enough air for all of us, and there is value in the way we touch, no matter what words we use. And we could use a lot of the same words if we wanted to. We could let each other in and build more bridges where now there are walls. And we could do so much of it by using language mindfully, kindly, and with a spirit of connection. I wonder if we can invite each other to explore words and concepts in a brave space, where there may be discomfort, but it is the discomfort of agreeing that we're not on the same page . . . yet. We can remember that our goal is connection and humbly say, "I have never heard that word used like that. Can you tell me more about how you're using it?" If you're the one who used the word, it's your responsibility to invite the listener to join you in further learning for both of you—even though it may be tempting to pounce and jargon yourself away from this invitation. Let's own our stories about language, agree to get curious about the power of words, and hold ourselves and each other more accountable about how we use them. Note 1. Plainlanguage.gov, "Avoid Jargon," accessed November 2022, www.plainlanguage. gov/guidelines/words/avoid-jargon. Cal Cates is an educator, writer, and speaker on topics ranging from massage therapy in the hospital setting to end- of-life care and massage therapy policy and regulation. A founding director of the Society for Oncology Massage from 2007–2014 and current executive director and founder of Healwell, Cates works within and beyond the massage therapy community to elevate the level of practice and integration of massage overall and in health care specifically. Cates also is the co- creator of the podcasts Massage Therapy Without Borders and Interdisciplinary. L i s te n to T h e A B M P Po d c a s t a t a b m p.co m /p o d c a s t s o r w h e reve r yo u a cce s s yo u r favo r i te p o d c a s t s 81 TAKEAWAY: Notice the tendency to "appear smart" in communication when connection is what you seek. Healwell is hosting a symposium in late February 2023 called "Within Reach: The Quest for Information and Research" that will explore this topic and related challenges around scientific communication. Learn more at healwell.org/ literacy2023.