You see something ethically questionable. Notice someone not being included. Run up against offensive speech. Disagree with an opinion that’s all too quickly become consensus. Want to add a different idea to the decision-making process.
While we’d all like to think that if we saw something, we’d say something in these situations, we are strikingly bad at anticipating how we’ll feel in future circumstances and, for a whole host of cognitive reasons, it can be incredibly difficult to speak up in the moment. In fact, research suggests that most people tend to not act, and then rationalize their inaction.
But you’re not really doing your job — as a diligent employee, compassionate colleague, or thoughtful leader — if you don’t lend your voice to the conversation. So what can you do?
Michael Sauers is currently the Director of Technology for Do Space in Omaha, NE. Michael has been training librarians in technology for the past twenty years and has also been a public library trustee, a bookstore manager for a library friends group, a reference librarian, serials cataloger, technology consultant, and bookseller since earning his MLS in 1995 from the University at Albany’s School of Information Science and Policy. Michael has also written dozens of articles for various journals and magazines and his fourteenth book, Emerging Technologies: A Primer for Librarians (w/ Jennifer Koerber) was published in May 2015 and more books are on the way. In his spare time he blogs at travelinlibrarian.info, runs The Collector’s Guide to Dean Koontz Web site, takes many, many photos, and typically reads more than 100 books a year.
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One Reply to “How to Speak Up When It Matters”
One idea I have heard is to at least write it down afterward.
I saw “this” and it was wrong and I felt “something” and I could have “said this or done that”. So that next time you have a possible action. So you are at least more likely to do something positive next time.
Because it really is a multistep process: you have to recognize that something racist/sexist/bad has happened, assess the situation, and then think of something to say. Sometimes the thing can be “excuse me, I’m not sure I heard what you said”
One idea I have heard is to at least write it down afterward.
I saw “this” and it was wrong and I felt “something” and I could have “said this or done that”. So that next time you have a possible action. So you are at least more likely to do something positive next time.
Because it really is a multistep process: you have to recognize that something racist/sexist/bad has happened, assess the situation, and then think of something to say. Sometimes the thing can be “excuse me, I’m not sure I heard what you said”