A lot of things are different since the start of the pandemic: how we work, how we gather with others, how we travel (or not). But one of the things most likely to remain with us after this is over is how we talk.
Whoever heard of social distancing before the middle of last year? Vaccine efficacy was reserved for those in the medical research profession and supply chain disruption for experts in that area. No one knew how to spell Pfizer, and Moderna seemed like a style of decor. We had faxing and waxing, but not vaxing.
Our language evolves over time, based on new inputs from our environment. It can also bring us together or divide us. Vaxing is paired with antivaxing and vaccine efficacy with vaccine hesitancy. The Patriot Front is a white supremacy group, as are the Proud Boys (with no women allowed). The outrage against "defund the police" would likely have been avoided if the catchphrase was "refocus the police" instead.
We can't go back to our old way of speaking any more than we can turn back the clock to our pre-2020 way of life. But we can be aware of what we say and how others may perceive it.
That's something we now know to do.
Contact me to find out how you can get heard above the noise--even in a crisis situation.