Real. Inclusive. Human.

Are you working in or with an organisation where most of the language people use isn’t what you would use in the kitchen with your family, or in the café or pub with your mates?

Do you feel, like we do, that this is not ok?

We think too much of the language people use in and about social care reveals and shapes attitudes and ways of working that prevent people from living gloriously ordinary lives. We believe that the language of social care should be ordinary. Everyday words about everyday life. And we think our language should be glorious. Wonderful words about flourishing lives.

Graphic titled 'Would you use this language around your kitchen table?' highlights 'Words that make us go Hmmm' in five categories: blaming words, silly words, sorting office words, deceptive words and them and us words.

Facilitators

Tricia Nicoll, course facilitator for Gloriously Ordinary Language, smiles.

Tricia Nicoll

Tricia has worked in the world of health and social care for 30 years and is passionate about helping services and support work in ways that really do help people to get Gloriously Ordinary Lives. She is Mum to two amazing grown-up children who happen to be autistic.

Bryony Shannon, course facilitator for Gloriously Ordinary Language, smiles.

Bryony Shannon

Bryony has worked in adult social care information, communications and practice development in local government for almost 20 years and is the author of the popular Rewriting Social Care blog.

How many measurable outcomes have you achieved today?

Written and Produced by Oxfordshire Family Support Network  in Partnership with Gloriously Ordinary Language.

Join Bryony Shannon, to explore why language matters in social work and social care.

Exploring Gloriously Ordinary Language

Language is powerful. The words we choose to use reflect and influence the way we think, feel, and behave.

Join Bryony Shannon for what promises to be a thought-provoking half-day Zoom workshop exploring why language matters. During the session, we'll:

  • look at the story we are currently telling about the purpose of social care, about each other, and about our practice

  • expose how much of our dominant language doesn’t align with a rights-based, relational way of working, or indeed with people living Gloriously Ordinary Lives, and

  • consider how we might shift our narrative and rewrite social care.

  • "Today has been a massive eye-opener and has changed the way I think about the language we use in social care."

  • "The challenge has been welcomed today, with lots of light-bulb moments."

  • "Definitely made me think about how things can be changed."

  • "Feeling inspired!"

  • "Great to have space for reflection and discussion together. Such an important ingredient for change!"

  • "As always, brilliant session, great subject, well organised and above all thought-provoking."