December 14, 2009Code white, change and the willingness to see things as they are
My book SpeakStrong divides the Speak Strong process into five steps. The first step is to be willing to see things as they are. I call it: Commit to code white.
That comes from a process that some groups of nurses apply, where if a nurse notices someone is verbally abusive to another nurse, she calls out a Code White. The nurses congregate around the offender and silently watch.
I demonstrated the power of Code White in a SpeakStrong seminar for inner city youth. I instructed my volunteer “nurses” in the code. I had a volunteer “doctor” unfairly criticize another “nurse.” I called a Code White, and my group of nurses gathered around and silently watched.
“Doctor Fisher” fell silent. I invited him to continue. “With all these people watching?” he asked. The point was as clear as it could be. There is power in quiet observation. Too often we perpetuate an offense by pretending it isn’t happening. Code White doesn’t solve all of our communication challenges, but it’s a strong first step. I have eight skill sets based on it in my SpeakStrong book. Why haven’t you ordered yours yet?
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What you do when no one is looking says so much more than what you do when you are under a microscope. Personal integrity cannot be taught in a public setting, and can only be tested in your own heart.
I love the idea of Code White, I think everyone should think about the things they say to one another, and if they would say it differently with a crowd watching them.
Comment by Ashley — December 20, 2009 @ 1:09 pm