diff --git a/constructor/header.sh b/constructor/header.sh
index 7669ead59..942ceee3e 100644
--- a/constructor/header.sh
+++ b/constructor/header.sh
@@ -544,8 +544,14 @@ if [ "$BATCH" = "0" ]; then
 #if has_conda and initialize_conda is True
     # Interactive mode.
 
-    printf "Do you wish the installer to initialize %s\\n" "${INSTALLER_NAME}"
-    printf "by running conda init? [yes|no]\\n"
+    printf "Do you wish to update your shell profile to automatically initialize conda?\\n"
+    printf "This will activate conda on startup and change the command prompt when activated.\\n"
+    printf "If you'd prefer that conda's base environment not be activated on startup,\\n"
+    printf "   run the following command when conda is activated:\\n"
+    printf "\\n"
+    printf "conda config --set auto_activate_base false\\n"
+    printf "\\n"
+    printf "You can undo this by running \`conda init --reverse \$SHELL\`? [yes|no]\\n"
     printf "[%s] >>> " "$DEFAULT"
     read -r ans
     if [ "$ans" = "" ]; then
@@ -578,11 +584,6 @@ if [ "$BATCH" = "0" ]; then
             esac
         fi
     fi
-    printf "If you'd prefer that conda's base environment not be activated on startup, \\n"
-    printf "   set the auto_activate_base parameter to false: \\n"
-    printf "\\n"
-    printf "conda config --set auto_activate_base false\\n"
-    printf "\\n"
 #endif
 
     printf "Thank you for installing %s!\\n" "${INSTALLER_NAME}"
diff --git a/constructor/osxpkg.py b/constructor/osxpkg.py
index 2628429ea..605067d9e 100644
--- a/constructor/osxpkg.py
+++ b/constructor/osxpkg.py
@@ -224,10 +224,13 @@ def modify_xml(xml_path, info):
                 'initialize_by_default', True) else 'false')
             path_choice.set('title', "Add conda initialization to the shell")
             path_description = """
-            If this box is checked, "conda init" will be executed to ensure that
-            conda is available in your preferred shell upon startup. If unchecked,
-            you must this initialization yourself or activate the environment
-            manually for each shell in which you wish to use it."""
+            If this box is checked, conda will be automatically activated in your
+            preferred shell on startup. This will change the command prompt when
+            activated. If your prefer that conda's base environment not be activated
+            on startup, run `conda config --set auto_activate_base false`. You can
+            undo this by running `conda init --reverse ${SHELL}`.
+            If unchecked, you must this initialization yourself or activate the
+            environment manually for each shell in which you wish to use it."""
             path_choice.set('description', ' '.join(path_description.split()))
         elif ident.endswith('cacheclean'):
             path_choice.set('visible', 'true')
diff --git a/news/713-update-conda-init-wording b/news/713-update-conda-init-wording
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..c1061b881
--- /dev/null
+++ b/news/713-update-conda-init-wording
@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+### Enhancements
+
+* <news item>
+
+### Bug fixes
+
+* <news item>
+
+### Deprecations
+
+* <news item>
+
+### Docs
+
+* <news item>
+
+### Other
+
+* Clarify consequences for when `conda init` is run during the installation. (#713)