Why is language development an important concept to understand for the lived-living experience space?

Words shape how we see, navigate, and interpret the world around us. Words matter. They wield power, whether we realize it or not. Couple that with the fact that the lived-living experience space is still in its infancy, and we see a larger picture that shows why language should be crafted intentionally to help clarify, influence, and explain. 

The lived-living experience space is faced with everyday challenges that include many being unsure of what the work is or how it should be done. I have heard story after story from those in the peer workforce who have shared the frustration of how their roles are often misunderstood or even dismissed because this work is still relatively new compared to other fields. 

Clarity in established efforts can sometimes exist simply because they’ve been a part of our everyday lives. We know what someone does because that role has been around for such a long time. The lived-living experience space is still in the early stages of development. The professional language isn’t all there yet. Clear, concise descriptions are still being considered, intuited, or may not even be on the table as of today. This makes the work harder.

When we don’t have the right words, we don’t have a chance of raising awareness or creating shared understanding. We struggle to explain and be recognized. We find ourselves feeling as though our work keeps us swimming against a current and getting nowhere. This ongoing struggle is one that many in these spaces will have to navigate for years to come. Even after language or phrases are “selected” by the field, they will be undone, tweaked, or discarded for better, more encompassing concepts. Not everyone will appreciate this linguistic limbo. Many will likely complain and challenge it, which ironically leads to clearer descriptions and a better understanding. Through communicative conflict, we will find our roles, our work, and our words which lead to shared understanding.

Words shape reality, relationships, and our work.

This field is rapidly changing, and so is the vocabulary and language that describe it. As we construct the language that allows us to create change, meaning will be applied so we can practice our lived-living experiences within the fields that work to care for us all. 

Words shape how we see the world and how the world sees us. 

Diving into the words that are most commonly used today is important for those in these fields of work, whether they are established professionals or are new to the field. Sharing language, even when disagreeing on these terms, creates an opportunity for our field to grow intentionally.

Common Terms Currently Shaping Lived-Living Experience Work

The words we choose to signify our work create expectations, practices, and interactions for us. While this language is still evolving and being created, our field should continue to express and examine the words we use to define ourselves. 

Lived experiences refer to past events that can shape a person’s identity, worldview, or approach to navigating the world. These experiences may remain singularly impactful, shaping the life of the person who went through them, or they could be broadened by the individual and used to shed light or shape the social worlds of others. 

Living experiences are those that are still unfolding; they may be immediate, dynamic, or static. These are the everyday experiences, whether large or small, that someone is undergoing in their current life. 

These categories represent both past and present. When we reflect on the nuances, we can gain a deeper understanding of what each type of experience has to offer. One might demonstrate a close perspective on the realities of a challenge and how it could create harm or hinder, while the other might offer a more distanced view of hardship. A removal that allows us to see how healing can take place. These subtle temporal differences enable us to reflect on the past or understand the current ongoing challenge more appropriately. 

The phrase “lived experience” has been shared for some time now. The overarching concept or idea is relatively well-known, but the components or micro-aspects of the phrase are still being identified and prioritized across fields. Each space lived-living experiences will likely determine the key aspects that best suit their focus and goals. I’m curious to see how this concept and work evolves across the work.

Co-design is another phrase that is becoming increasingly accepted in the lived-experience space. Co-Design refers to the intentional practice of designing systems, services, or policies alongside people with lived-living experiences and not just for them. For many decades, professionals determined what and how things should be created and delivered, and did not incorporate the perspectives of those who would access the services or most benefit from the tools or resources. Co-design promotes shared responsibility for the work and increases the likelihood that services or resources will effectively meet the needs of those they are intended to serve. Co-designing means there is an ongoing and often iterative dialogue about what works and what doesn’t, as well as what should be created. 

Centering Lived-Living Experience is an emerging phrase that means the active integration of those with lived-living experiences into efforts and activities. By centering lived-living experiences, we ensure that the work is driven by those most affected. In other words, those with lived-living experiences remain at the heart of the work and stay central to the focus and mission. Historically, there have been times where those with lived-living experiences have not been the focus or main reason for the work. This meant that professionals may have made decisions that did not serve the people. In centering lived-living experiences, we are always able to answer to those we should keep top of mind. This helps to balance power, ensuring that critical decisions serve the needs of many, rather than a handful of unaffected individuals. 

This concept is still in its infancy, primarily because centering requires policy and systems changes, which can take time and organizational development. I hope to see centering become a universal operational aspect as this work expands across spaces. 

Meaningful Engagement is a similar concept to centering, but can cover the in-between of the now and future of this work. Meaningful engagement is a tricky lived-living experience phrase as it is not universally defined, but is commonly used. Meaningful engagement means that those serving individuals with lived-living experiences employ transparent communication, share decision-making power, and hold themselves accountable in actionable ways to the communities they serve. Engagement should shift from minimal or even consultative to measurable and responsible. 

Practice in Action: Roles and Approaches in Lived-Living Experience Work

The fields of lived-living experiences include many activities or professional applications as well. Some of these, like storytelling, are as old as time itself, while others, like peer work, are still being refined. These practical approaches for lived-living experiences include language that is widely accepted. Still, I believe that just because it has been accepted, it doesn’t mean it currently reflects what we may hope it will encompass as this work evolves. 

Leading with Lived-Living Experience is a phrase you may encounter when engaging various individuals from across the space. This phrase signifies that an individual or professional addresses issues and interacts as a person with a particular lived-living experience. In professional spaces, leading with lived-experience means embedding your experiential perspective and practical knowledge into strategy, communication, or action. Where some may move from their professional or academic expertise, these individuals put their lived-living experiences at the forefront of their working minds. In doing so, the work they do is interwoven with experiential knowledge that often means their efforts or outcomes could work more effectively in real-world settings.

Lived-Living Experience Leadership is a phrase that leaders who hold lived-living experience roles, either within an organization or field, are sharing. This term differs from the previous in that individuals may lead from their lived-living experience but not hold formal roles of authority or leadership. Lived-living experience leaders may or may not lead from their lived-living experience, depending on the setting and tasks at hand, but they hold formal roles that prioritize these communities and needs. Lived-living experience leaders may inform policy, practice, or protocols at an organizational or field level, thereby driving the development of these fields and how professionals within the spaces operate.

Storytelling has been a high-profile area of “practice” in the lived-living experiences spaces. Humans are drawn to stories. Stories shape our understanding, draw upon untapped emotion, and allow us to connect with experiences we may have never had ourselves. Storytelling can be engaging, memorable, and persuasive. Stories have been tapped into billions of times to raise awareness, advocate for change, and influence action. Stories drive funding, development, and practice. 

Storytelling in the spaces of lived-living experience is often a sought-after activity, both by those on the outskirts of experience and those within the space. To stand on stage, or sit on camera, and share intimately can represent a powerful opportunity to be heard and have an impact.  Still, storytelling holds its own complications within this space. It isn’t for everyone, but because of the appeal it garners, it can feel as though it is one of (often) two options for those with lived-living experiences to influence. Stories can connect people or leave them feeling exposed, and this is one reason why the spaces of lived-living experiences need to expand. 

While I, personally, find issue with this conventional term for sharing personal narratives, it is widely accepted and used. My issue with this wide acceptance and use centers more around how that phrase functions communicatively to create implied meaning and expectation. I will share more on why I have concern about this phrase in an upcoming post and my preferred way of describing this concept.

Peer Support or the Peer Workforce is a second major professional category. Peer support is a complex and critical area of work where individualized support is provided to those who are often within the living experience category. This support is built on a basis of shared experiential understanding and made stronger by the trusting connections that happen when we know that another person has gone through the same thing. 

Professionally speaking, peer support is meant to create a bridge between the individual being served and professional service providers by harnessing shared language and understanding and offering hands-on navigation during the service journey. By employing people who “just know,” service providers can do what they do best, lower the time it takes to professionally establish trust, and capitalize on the ingrown empathy and understanding of the peer professional. 

On the reverse, the peer professional serves as an achievable model of wellbeing for the individual while helping them identify what works best for them. This person-centered approach means an increased chance for recovery, wellbeing attainment, and so much more. 

Peer work represents an innovative approach to caring for one another. It prioritizes need at an individual level and demonstrates the importance of those being served by cutting right to the chase when it comes to building connection and trust. Imagine if every service were as customized as this approach can be. 

There are more than two major areas where lived and living experiences are critical to how they function; however, this post’s content focuses on current universal approaches.

These professional practices, whether centuries old, such as storytelling, or still emerging, like peer support, demonstrate how deeply language and interpretation are intertwined in the field of lived-living experience. As our field grows, so does our responsibility to choose language that protects, respects, and empowers those who deserve to be at its center. 

Language is never finished being reshaped. Language evolves from generation to generation, from practice to practice, and from need to action. The fields of lived-living experiences are maturing at this very moment, and so is the language and phrases that shape how these fields operate in our world. 

I’d love to hear from you: what words resonate for you in this work? What feels missing?

Stay tuned to my blog as I share my suggestions and recommendations for how this work can be better defined and explained, and for an expanded look at how lived-living experienced individuals can lead efforts and activities.