Power gap

“A single phrase might hurt a student a lot. There is already a huge power gap between a supervisor and students—even if we are friendly with our students. They are being evaluated for their work. In this situation, they already feel slightly awkward. In such a situation, if we are not mindful of the type of language that we use, we might unintentionally damage their confidence. There is also a cultural difference here: what might be slightly more carefully phrased in some contexts can be very critically framed in other contexts. Even softening slightly—“this could have happened to me as well”—can already help. Then, combine with developmental feedback. Avoid a harsh tone. Be careful about your language.”

(Madhu Neupane Bastola)