Speak for Yourself: The Power of "I" Statements

People like to speak from a place of “we”.

“We all feel…”

“I asked 3 other people and they all agreed with me that…”

While there are times a “we” is helpful, in many cases, it is a power tactic. If we feel uncomfortable or nervous in an interaction, it’s hard to speak from our own position. It’s difficult to own our wants or feelings and see them as valid on their own. Instead, we use the “we” to try and convince someone else to see us as right, accept our assertion or legitimize our position.

This is not only unhelpful as it perpetuates the belief you are not worthy of asserting yourself without the support or buy in from others but its also abusive.

It’s nothing but a bullying tactic.

We can only speak from our own experience or perception.

"I" statements are inclusive and allow for the other party to feel as though they can share more openly, distinguishing between perception and intention.