Communicating has been the buzz word for eons, years and years,
And truthfully anytime we open our mouths we are communicating,
But are we reaching anyone, is it having any impact…
Recently I was talking to an associate,
We were discussing philanthropy, volunteerism and reaching our intended,
She told me that for a while she had worked with an organization for young folks but she could never quite make it work for her, they weren’t feeling her communication style and she felt she had no impact,
She never felt she was really empowering or helping anyone,
She had found something she loved doing, and she told me about all the wonderful benefits she was gaining…I remained quiet, I wasn’t even going to go there…
Finally she asked me why did I think the young people related to me and my message...
I told her there were a variety of reasons,
Mostly they knew my heart and I spoke their language…
She wanted to know what I meant by that, did I mean some Black thing…
After giggling I told her NO, not at all,
Mostly that I talked with them, not to them or over them,
A lot of times with young adults we miss our communicating cues, because we seem to want to impress them with how much we know or how much we have accomplished and they turn cold…the big thing is when relating to youngsters we have to remember it’s not about us…she looked a little traumatized at that remark…
So I also told her many times it’s the words we use…
When going into a new venture, we should view it as assisting a young person, working with what they bring,
When we walk into a room and start throwing around words like Empower or Help…
Many will tune out at that point,
Because to empower indicates powerlessness,
And to help indicates helplessness,
And in many cases they may be powerless and helpless,
But they aren’t trying to hear what they already know…
To assist someone indicates that they already have something to work with,
And you are willing to, along with what they have to allow THEM move it forward…
She looked at me, saying, ‘That sounds like a lot of work, that’s why I have chosen to do something else.’
“That’s okay, we do what we do…the world is big enough for all of that.”
Blessings,
angelia
