Psychological Safety – Feeling Safe to Speak Up and Step Up

What is Psychological Safety?
Psychological safety means knowing you can share ideas, ask questions, or admit mistakes without fear of being judged, punished, or excluded. It’s about feeling supported to take risks, try new things, and grow.
Here’s what psychological safety can look like:
✨ You feel confident asking questions or sharing concerns, knowing they’ll be taken seriously.
🛠️ Mistakes are seen as chances to learn, not reasons for blame.
🚀 You’re encouraged to step outside your comfort zone and explore new ideas.
🤝 Your contributions are valued, even when they challenge the usual way of doing things.Celebrating differences—whether it’s traditions, beliefs, or personal experiences.

💡 How you can protect your psychological safety:
- Create space for everyone to share their thoughts – listen without interrupting.
- Support learning – focus on solutions when things go wrong, instead of assigning blame.
- Encourage creativity – make it okay to try new things, even if they don’t work out perfectly.
- Respect different viewpoints – even when you don’t agree, value the courage it takes to speak up.
- Be approachable – let people know they can come to you with questions or concerns.
When psychological safety is part of the culture, sport and recreation become places where people feel fearless in contributing, learning, and thriving.
It’s how we build a better way to play.