We often talk about the challenging ideas that come with a career in communication. We even talk about the words behind the ideas, which words conjure explicit experiences across cultures and communities, and we try our best to assess how we, as communicators, can face those challenges and adapt toward a space of understanding. But rarely do we talk about words in quite the way our guests this week have built their careers talking about words.

Kathy and Ross Petras are the New York Times bestselling authors of You’re Saying It Wrong, That Doesn’t Mean What You Think It Means and Awkword Moments, A History of the World Through Body Parts, and numerous other non-fiction books. And for podcast fans just like you out there listening right now, you’ll want to check out their award-winning NPR.org podcast, also called You’re Saying It Wrong (awarded first prize for podcasts by the Public Media Journalists Association) about word histories, language controversies, grammar, and all things word-related.

This week, we’re clearing the air on the words that trip us up the most. From affect to effect to impact, our most common pronunciation peccadillos (go ahead, say “quay” aloud right now before you listen!), to the most important point of all: relax, and keep talking. 

Our greatest thanks to Kathy and Ross for joining this week on Mission Forward!

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Now Available! More Than Words: Communications Practices of Courageous Leaders by Carrie Fox, founder and CEO of Mission Partners, is available. You're invited to join an emerging community of practice and become a positive and powerful agent of change.