I guarantee someone in your work life has had a “How do they get paid for this?” moment because you assume you know how to communicate merely because you’ve been doing it for years. In the 12 years I spent working as the in-house communications staff, I only saw a few people outside roles like mine intentionally learn how to be a better communicator. And it showed.

There’s the call to action, folks. It’s in big letters twice because I want you be sure you get that point today. This concept isn’t new to regular readers; I’ve mentioned it before, and hinted at it in other pieces. The time has passed for us to passively take in media of any kind. Be intentional about what you’re taking in and whose voice you’re getting.

Words have meaning—both literal and figurative—and if we are careless with either type of meaning, it can have long-lasting and far-reaching consequences. Uninformed or hasty word choice can be a window into our biases, and shape people's perception of issues and events. Which is why we need to stop using war imagery when we talk about COVID-19.