What if resilience was less about ‘bouncing back’ and more about how we talk to each other?
When we hear the word resilience, we often picture someone powering through and just getting on with it. But real resilience — the kind that lasts — is about feeling supported, understood and safe enough to keep going. And that all comes down to communication.
Not just the big, rousing speeches or the well-worded emails. But the everyday stuff. The tone in someone’s voice, the way they deliver tough news and whether they check in, or don’t.
We don’t build resilience in silence.
Think back to a time something went wrong at work. Perhaps a project fell apart or something personal was bubbling under the surface.
What helped you get through it?
Chances are, it was a conversation or a person. Someone who made space for you to pause. Someone who said: “Take a minute, you’re not on your own.”
That’s communication as resilience. And it matters more than ever.
The way we speak under pressure matters
In challenging times, it’s often the smallest interactions that make the biggest difference. Simple phrases like:
- “You’re not expected to have all the answers.”
- “I’ve got your back — let’s figure it out together.”
- “That sounds tough — do you want to talk it through?”
These aren’t just kind gestures, they actively support a team’s ability to adapt and keep going. They create the safety people need to stay engaged, even when things are wobbly.
On the flip side, poor communication can chip away at resilience fast.
Blunt emails. Silence in the face of stress. A distracted ‘You okay?’ that doesn’t wait for an answer.
These things send out the wrong messages, and that’s when people burn out — or quietly switch off.
A lesson from the stage
At 1948, we use actor-led training to help teams strengthen their communication and resilience — not just in theory, but in real moments that test them.
In the world of theatre — resilience isn’t about being perfect. It’s about staying connected when the lights go out or the line is forgotten. When something goes wrong (and it always does), actors rely on the quality of their communication to stay in the moment and recover.
They breathe, they stay open and they listen.
Teams in the workplace are no different. Resilience doesn’t come from pretending things are fine. It comes from being able to talk — honestly, supportively, and without fear — when they’re not.
Resilience isn’t a personal trait. It’s a shared experience. And it’s built — or broken — in the way we speak to each other when it really matters.
If you’d like to build a more resilient workforce, let’s talk.
Get in touch here or visit weare1948.com to find out more.
