During a crisis, using the word "talk" to begin a conversation, "Can we talk about how you are?" often gets a negative response. The reason is that we place little value on "talk." Talk is cheap or meaningless. However, substituting the word with "speak", seems to have bette...

Failing in communication can have a big impact during a crisis. Sometimes things that are transparent to one party may be interpreted differently by another. Therefore, choosing certain words can help us to persuade and win over people we are talking to.

In a study, one group of physicians were instructed to ask their patients: "Is there anything else you want to address?" The other group were asked to say: "Is there something else you want to address?"

Conversations between doctors and parents talking about the wellbeing of a child can often look like negotiations, even if not intended.

People in crisis are often emotional and incoherent.