The Power of Words

Posted: April 2, 2019

By Orayne Williams, former Overcoming Obstacles student

At 16-years-old, a group of students and I were introduced to Overcoming Obstacles through a lesson called “Speaking Responsibly” from the Communication Skills module. The focus of the lesson was learning how to use words for their strength and power and, through activities and discussions, we were taught that we have control over what we say and that our words have impact and effect. We learned that good communication is clear and concise.

I grew up writing poems as a hobby. It was my way of communicating. With the knowledge I gained from this lesson, I revised and improved my poems, editing the metaphors and similes. This new approach gave more imagery to my poems and enabled me to make my readers feel and understand each stanza. I felt comfortable because I was able to share just enough, which made me feel accomplished and not exposed.

Learning this skill as a teen through Overcoming Obstacles, made it easier to continue to develop the skill and apply it professionally. Today, as a social service professional, the insight and knowledge I gained helps with several social service approaches, such as Motivational Interviewing and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. Both approaches challenge the worker to remain in control of their words and reactions while working with a client, which are skills I learned through the lesson. I know that I am responsible for what I say and, therefore, I remain precise with my words when working with my clients and communicate with empathy. This helps in a variety of situations, such as de-escalating instances with clients who are upset.

Maintaining clear and concise communication with my clients allows me to be transparent, which is key when working with court involved and incarcerated youth. It allows trust to be established, which is very important and it takes good communication skills to so. From the lesson, I learned that being in control of what I say allows me to say just what is needed with clarity and without bias, whether it’s in my poetry or in serving my clients.

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