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This Week in the World
If Speaking Strong was easy, everyone
would do it...and:
If everyone Spoke Strong, Speaking Strong would be easy.
According to Jared Sandberg of The Wall Street Journal, many managers lie on performance reviews because if they rate someone below standards, it’s a reflection on them.
According to William Lerach of The Washington Post, there’s a conspiracy of silence in boardrooms when CEOs resign in disgrace. The executives leave in grand style because remaining board members want to protect their own hides.
"A conspiracy of silence." Cynthia Fitzgerald missed the stay-silent-to-protect-yourself memo. She investigated and complained about bid-rigging practices in her organization, was given a bad performance review and eventually shown the door. She filed a whistle-blower lawsuit.
Fitzgerald valued her job, but she rocked the boat anyway. Why? Because what she was expected to do “was wrong. And I knew it was wrong.”
So did many of her colleagues, but they played it “safe” and looked the other way.
If Speaking Strong was easy, everyone would do it.
And if everyone Spoke Strong, Speaking Strong would be easy.
Let's all Speak Strong so the Cynthia Fitzgeralds in the world
won’t be out in the open with no one to cover them when they do
what’s right.
Ask Meryl corrections
A couple of readers caught some sloppiness in my Ask Meryl response last week. It would be great if I got everything right every time, but fortunately I have all of you to help me out when I don't. You can read the posts here.
This Week in the World comment
PowerPhrase of the Week
PowerPhrase: Minutes away - worlds
apart
The Colorado Springs development ad slogan:
-
minutes away, worlds apart
is powerful on a primal level, partly because it's so short.
It also has something else our primal brains like: contrast. There’s contrast between the closeness – minutes away – and the distance – worlds apart.
If you use short, contrasting phrases in your communication, it will add to the impact of your message.
One caveat: The slogan also reinforces the idea of separation – which is effective as a slogan but is not a concept I like seeing promoted. There is a growing meme of “everyone for himself” and “at least I’ll get mine” that this slogan appeals to and reinforces. I would make this slogan the PowerPhrase and the Poison Phrase this week, but I have another Poison Phrase I want to include.
Poison Phrase of the Week
You worry about doing this, I'll worry
about doing that.
Lloyd and Vanessa assigned tasks for a project by saying,
- You worry about doing this and I’ll worry about doing
that.
Each item was assigned according to who would "worry"
about it. The tasks weren’t problematic or odious, but the terms made
them seem like they would be.
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Read the in-depth description of: |
Ask Meryl
Guilt by association
Meryl,
Thanks to the divisive political atmosphere in today's world, a person is
often "pegged" by the venue that he/she chooses. By appearing on
"Air America" one is often labeled as on the "left-wing
fringe" while appearing on "Fox" leads some to make
accusations of being on the "right fringe."
Unfortunately, people seem to be judged not by what they say or by the value of their ideas. Rather, they are judged by the medium they use, not by the message.
What can our society do to focus attention back to what is said and how it is said rather than making where it is said all-important?
Meryl responds
I’m slow to respond to your email because I have been spending my time single-mindedly writing a book to answer it. No kidding - stay tuned.
Your question addresses the societal level. The changes you (and I) seek come from individual focus. By individuals changing their understanding, the perception will shift overall. That’s why I keep talking wherever (almost) they’ll hear me.
And, the changes come from individuals refusing to be limited by how society might peg them. We need to keep saying: "this is me, this is what I stand for, and this is what I have to say."
My message transcends Air America Radio and it transcends Fox News. I know that, because I say the same things and get the same response when I appear on either. There will be some people who won’t hear the universality of my SpeakStrong message. I’ll always lose some people by the stands I take and the venues I choose. But if I allowed that to silence me, I wouldn’t be walking my talk.
So lets keep speaking our peace and society will take care of
itself.
Thanks for your excellent question.
Do you have a communication question? You can Ask Meryl.
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There's lots of information about how to communicate |
Reader Success Story
A favor returned
I have always had trouble sounding too blunt in written correspondence. My writing is succinct and to the point without any fancy dressing. Some people took it as blunt and mean. I attended a talk given by you at the suggestion of my supervisor in order to try to curb this tendency.
Since hearing you I have tried to be very proactive in my
writing, reading everything two and three times to make sure it
doesn’t sound short. I even asked a co-worker if she would read
letters that I am not sure about before I sent them. I was surprised when
she responded; “Sure, in fact I was wondering if you would read mine,
I am always too wordy and you seem to get right to the point in your letters
and emails”. We now work together to help each other.
Reader Comments on Previous Newsletters
Blog comments:
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Issue
295
November 28, 2007 |
SpeakStrong Award
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SpeakStrong Award.
Ask Meryl
We will respond with our best suggestions. We may publish your question and response anonymously unless you request that we only respond privately. We appreciate your feedback on our response. If we publish your question, be sure to check Meryl's Blog for further suggestions from our readers.
SpeakStrong Definition
To express yourself both powerfully &
effectively;
to say what you mean,
mean what you say,
without being mean
when you say it.