The main topic of discussion in our
class, this week, appears to be on something called a springboard story. “A
springboard story performs the most useful thing a leader can do: communicate a
complex new idea and inspire others to action” (Denning, 2011, p. 59). For this
particular assignment, we were given a TED Talk to watch and asked how it
relates to what we have studied this week. I imagine that many of my classmates
will be writing their blog this week about how the video inspires others to
action because are the springboard stories that are told in the video. However,
this module included other readings and other topics. That is the route that I
am going to take.
In her TED Talk, Chimamanda Adichie
(2009) talks about the danger of a single narrative being told and how it
creates stereotypes that people believe. What she is describing in how people
hear the same kind of story over and over and that becomes their accepted
reality. She tells stories of her childhood in Nigeria and talks about how
surprised people are when they find out that she is not what they imagine
someone from an African country to be like. (Please, take the time to watch
this video which is below in my references. I promise that you will not be disappointed
and it will make this particular blog make so much more sense.) Many of the
stories that she tells are, indeed, springboard stories. However, I saw a
couple of other elements in the video that really caught my attention.
Adichie was very passionate about warning
us to look beyond stereotypes. They way that she grabbed and held the attention
of the audience was by first approaching it with the right attitude. She had
reason to be upset about the stereotypes that probably many in the audience
already had accepted of her before she began to speak. However, she understood
that “to be a great oral leader, first you must manager your attitude. It’s the
way you say your words that makes you persuasive, not the words themselves” (Whalen
& Ricca, 2007, p. 17). She doesn’t just say, “Hey, don’t be fools! You are
ignorant!” Though that is a large part of her message, she approaches it with a
tender attitude. She approaches the conversation with empathy and even admits
that she, herself, has been a victim of accepting stereotypes. She explains how
that happens – when we hear the same kind of story over and over. She even
admits that often stereotypes actually are true. But, she says, “the problem with
stereotypes is not that they are not true but that they are incomplete”
(Adichie, 2009). Also, when she is communicating with the audience, it is as if
she “disappears”. What I mean by that is that it doesn’t feel like she is just
reading to us. Whalen and Ritta (2007) note that this is a sign of effective
communication. Have you ever been talking to a friend and completely lose track
of time and what is happening around you? That has happened to me. Recently, a
friend and I were talking on the train and we went right by our spot. We didn’t
realize it until a gaggle of tourists crowded on the train because we had hit
Times Square and we were supposed to get off at Columbus Circle a full two
stops before that. That is how much we were lost in the conversation. Adichie
accomplishes the same thing in her talk. It was fully engaging.
There is another lesson to be
learned from this talk but it is a lesson not about the speaker but rather us
as the audience. Regardless of how well a speaker communicates, we will never
receive the message if we are not listening. When you listen to this talk, it’s
important to listen both with empathy and openness. “There is only one
requirement for listening with empathy: simply know that everyone is trying to
survive” (McKay, Davis, & Flanning, 2009, p. 19). What that means is that
when you listen to someone delivering a message, realize that they are trying
to accomplish something just as you are. Also, we need to listen with openness
(McKay, Davis, & Flanning, 2009). This means to let go of all judgments.
Those judgments may come in the form of bitterness for being proven wrong,
even. Just listen. Imagine if we could accomplish this when it comes to
politics. I am convinced that there would be no Democrats or Republicans if
everybody could just drop all bitterness and listen with empathy and openness.
Everybody would be an Independent.
I want to close with an interesting
story of my own about the dangers of a single story. Try to “listen” to it with
openness and maybe you can see past some of the stereotypes that I learned to
erase. I live in East Harlem - El Barrio. I was admonished to not look for an
apartment here because of how dangerous it is. However, I had a friend that
lived up here so I already had an idea of what I was getting into. When you
look at my neighborhood, you will see evidence of the single narrative that has
been told about the slums of East Harlem. Yes, there are a lot of projects.
There is a lot of graffiti and it is a bit rough around the edges. However,
other than just slums, do you know what else is in East Harlem? First, I have
Central Park as my back yard. I have a balcony with the most breathtaking
views. We have some of the finest dining in the city right here. The
world-famous Rao’s literally has a 2 ½ waiting list for a reservation and that
is right up the street from me. Some of the most amazing art is here. I am only
a 10 minute walk from the Guggenheim! I love East Harlem and I am so thankful
that I didn’t buy into the single story.
Adichie,
C. (2009, July). Chimamanda Ngozi
Adichie: The danger of a single story [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.ted.com/talks/chimamanda_adichie_the_danger_of_a_single_story
Denning,
S. (2011). The Leader's Guide to
Storytelling: Mastering the Art and Discipline of Business Narrative. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
McKay,
M., Davis, M., & Fanning, P. (2009). Messages:
The Communication Skills Book. New Harbinger
Publications.
Whalen,
D. J., & Ricca, T. M. (2007). The
professional communications toolkit. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
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