When is Psychological Safety not Psychological Safety?

Last year I created this graphic & wrote about how "speaking up" could one day just be called "speaking" because the "head above the parapet" feeling might no longer exist in workplaces (all in the context of psychological safety).

Now I find myself speaking up about PS itself because since then I see/hear the term more often & it is sometimes misused.

I've been asked how I would make a phone call interview "psychologically safe"

I've read a list of "psychologically safe" icebreakers

I think I know what people mean, but it is not psychological safety.

I feel moved to write this because PS (& understanding it) matters: in some circumstances low PS leads to loss of life; & in others it stifles inclusion, innovation, learning and better thinking.

However, it is hard to achieve & it happens over time. It requires courage, changing old beliefs, habits, structures & processes & trying on new ways of working with ourselves & together. We can work towards higher levels of PS but we cannot "magic it up" in a phone call.

These books help: The Fearless Organization by Amy C Edmondson & The 4 Stages of Psychological Safety by Timothy R Clark