7 Insights on Language’s Role in Power Dynamics
Language shapes who holds power and who gets left behind in every conversation, meeting, and policy decision. This article examines how words influence inclusion, trust, and access through insights from leading experts in linguistics and organizational communication. From questioning techniques to the politics of jargon, these perspectives reveal how seemingly small language choices create or dismantle barriers.
Shift From Directives to Questions
I've learned that language is a fundamental tool that shapes power dynamics in professional relationships. Through my work with a business coach, I discovered that shifting from directive communication to a coaching-oriented approach dramatically changed how my team functioned. By replacing instructions with thoughtful questions, I noticed team members developed stronger problem-solving skills and took greater ownership of their work. This was particularly evident when working with our media buyer who initially struggled with campaign optimization but flourished when encouraged to develop her own solutions through guided questioning. The language we choose as leaders can either concentrate power in our hands or distribute it throughout our organization, creating either dependency or empowerment.
Language Controls Who Gets Heard
Language controls who gets heard and who gets ignored
In my work, I see how a single sentence can open a door or block someone from healthcare, legal help, or government services. When a hospital cannot understand a patient, the patient has no power. When a court proceeding happens in a language someone cannot follow, justice is out of reach for them. Language becomes control.
But when you provide interpretation or translation at the right moment, you give that person the chance to speak for themselves. They can ask questions. They can disagree. They can make informed decisions. Power shifts back to the person.
Communication Shapes Inclusion and Support
One powerful thing I have learned about the relationship between language and power is that communication shapes who gets heard included and supported in society. Language is more than just words it is a tool that can either open doors or create barriers. For people with communication disorders limited access to effective language can translate into limited access to education, employment and even healthcare. Research shows that individuals with untreated speech and language difficulties are at higher risk for academic challenges and social isolation which demonstrates how communication ability can strongly influence life opportunities according to ASHA 2023.
Language can reinforce existing power structures when certain communication styles, accents or vocabularies are valued more than others. For example children who struggle with speech may be underestimated or adults with conditions like Parkinson's or stroke related aphasia may be excluded from decision making simply because they cannot express themselves easily. This creates an imbalance where those with stronger communication skills hold more power in personal and public settings.
However language is also a tool for empowerment. Speech therapy helps people reclaim their voices literally and figuratively. By supporting individuals in strengthening communication we challenge social biases and promote inclusion. Every time someone gains the confidence to speak up or share their needs they are taking back power. Improving communication is a key step toward equity, dignity and participation for all.
Complexity Protects Turf and Status
The thing I've learned about language and power in business is this: Complexity is a weapon used to protect turf. When someone in a meeting uses technical jargon, weird acronyms, or just sentences that are too damn long, they are not smart—they are protecting their status by making themselves the only person who can explain the information.
Language reinforces power by putting up barriers. Look at our Finance team: if they write budget reports using impossible language, they keep all the political power. They force every other department to come crawling, begging for money because they can't understand the numbers on their own.
You challenge power with brutal simplicity. At Co-Wear, we made a mandate that every single report—logistics, sales, finance—has to be written so clearly that anyone on the team, no matter their job title, can understand the core strategic implication. By forcing everyone to speak plainly, we kill the political advantage of jargon. Power then goes to the person with the best idea, not the person with the most exclusive dictionary.
Simplify Words to Open Doors
Language shapes who gets heard and who gets overlooked. The words we choose can either open doors or quietly close them. I've seen how legal or financial jargon, for example, can make land ownership feel out of reach for working families. When you simplify that language—turn contracts into plain talk, replace fear with clarity—you shift the power dynamic. People feel informed, and informed people make confident decisions.
Language can also challenge power when it exposes truth without polish. A single honest phrase can carry more weight than a hundred rehearsed statements. The more we strip away pretension and speak directly, the more balanced the conversation becomes. In business, politics, or community work, real power doesn't come from sounding important—it comes from being understood.
Words Construct Perception Before Policy
Language constructs perception much earlier than policy. The legitimacy in a conversation is defined by the words used to characterize people, movements or events. Passivity in institutions such as using the phrases; mistakes were made as opposed to we made mistakes eliminate accountability and safeguard authority. That minor change offers the status quo without the slightest act of domination.
However, the same hierarchies can be destroyed by reclaiming or redefining language. Consider the way that Black Lives Matter redefined the discourse of the entire country by stating an unapologetic fact in five words. Or how women in business environments employ aggressive, direct wording when originally considered to be aggressive to insist on being treated equally. There is power in syntax and tone, and the resistance. Whenever one speaks purposefully, be it to call injustice or narrate his or her own story, language reallocates power. The individual that determines the terms defines the world of the future.
Clarity Builds Trust and Restores Dignity
Language and power are inseparable they shape and mirror each other. I learned this early in my legal career when representing clients who felt powerless against large institutions. The way a story is told, the words chosen, and even the tone used can determine who is believed and who is dismissed. In court, precision in language builds authority. Outside it, clarity builds trust.
I once represented a client in a medical malpractice case who struggled to articulate her experience. The hospital's legal team used sterile, technical language that made her pain sound procedural. My job was to give her story power again by translating legal jargon into human truth. That moment taught me that language can restore dignity when systems silence people.
But language can also uphold power when used to obscure, confuse, or intimidate. Policies, contracts, and laws often hide control behind complex phrasing. My guiding principle became simple: use language to clarify, not to dominate. Every word should illuminate truth, not conceal it. When we choose words that empower understanding, we challenge existing hierarchies and return power to where it belongs with the people seeking justice.
