Week # what? Unheard conversations

I gave a speech -- facilitated a conversation really -- last week at a large corporation.  "Silent Truths: What we don't say even at the coffee machine" was the title.  We talked about what people don't talk about.  About the voices in our heads during business meetings that say to us, "Hey, isn't there something more valuable that you could do with your life than listen to that guy over there rant about how great his department is or how terrible the management is or how busy she is all the time (like she's the only person in the world who has to work for a living?)"

We talked about why we don't stand for ourselves more at work.  Why we let people waste our time instead of saying, "Can we just get back to the agenda please?"

Why we for "political reasons" just accept that we are powerless to make our work places respond to our desires for respect, being valued, doing work that matters to us.

I thought about this later; do I always say what I mean?  Are there times it does not serve the common good to do so?  Is the truth nearly always silent?

You can see tonight I have more questions than answers. But in the moment we discussed it together, the group at the large corporation and I, we all felt more energized.  More willing to try again.  More powerful in our small moments of expressing our perspectives.

And that's a good reason to give the voices in our heads a place to be heard.

Comments

[Jane Allemang]

Hey Jill, I remember sitting in meetings being so bored and therefore making mental lists of groceries, things to be done at home, in my classroom,etc. Also, like you said, it was useless having an opinion because the topic was predecided before the meeting anyway, just needed to be documented that a meeting about the subject was held and we had a chance to voice an opinion. An example; the school calender for the coming year.....predecided but presented HA~!!!!! In my classroom I always tried to make everyone feel that it was safe to have an opinion, no one, including myself was going to get upset with just an opinion. How else could you teach that everyone counts and is an important part of the whole room....especially the quiet ones. They could also write it down & give it to me. I always thought the only way to develope an opinion at that age was to ask for one! This doesn't change at any age does it!!!! MOM