In this video, Captain Sullenberger shares a fascinating minute-by-minute description of how he and the rest of the flight crew handled an emergency landing of the US Airways Flight 1549 on the Hudson River in January 2009. One of his key points was Communicate Carefully—Sully carefully chose the words he used during this crisis. When he gave the crew and passengers the command to “brace for impact,” he did so intentionally because the word “brace” held a specific meaning for the flight attendants that prompted them to enact their own emergency landing procedures. Sully also intentionally communicated in a calm and rational way, because as he put it, “courage can be contagious.”
Words have meaning. Especially in a crisis. Everyone keeps saying “stay safe” as a greeting. Staying safe invokes fear and is reactionary.
Let’s try “Stay healthy”. What are you doing to stay healthy? What new healthy habits will you make during this time?
Staying healthy is a proactive choice that applies to mental, physical, social, emotional…. It’s about the whole person and reminding them that they are empowered to make choices for their health and we want everyone to stay healthy!