Tuesday Thoughts | 7 June 2022 | The Stories We Tell

I was what the Jamaicans call a “facety” child, one of my favorite ways to get under my Dad’s skin was to point out that whatever he had just said was “not how we say it here in Canada”; from being asked to “plug out” the kettle, to “cotch” something on a ledge, or “carry come bring me…” some random item; there was always something… Each time, he’d calmly ask me if I had understood what he had said to me, and, when I answered in the affirmative, he’d say “successful communication only requires that you understand me”.

I was thinking about that last week when I read this post from Akousa Boadi-Agyemang which concludes “… speaking or understanding English is not a signal for intelligence. Nor is it leeway to degrade people.” Now, let’s be clear, my father was perfectly capable of speaking in proper English, but even if he hadn’t had been, his message was no less important, and he would have been no less deserving of every effort being made to understand the feelings, emotions and ideas he was communicating.

Due to an incredible amount of privilege, which includes having a grandmother who worked for the BBC, who taught her children (including my mother) proper grammar and an impressive vocabulary; I am able to effectively communicate in the English Language, in writing, through reading comprehension, and aloud in speech. These tools aid my ability to communicate through story, in fact, when I refer to myself as a storyteller, it is primarily these language skills that I am leaning on.

At its core, Tuesday Thoughts (this weekly LinkedIn Newsletter you are currently reading*) is an exercise in Storytelling, most weeks, I explore an idea, a current event, a trend I’ve seen, through a series of one, or more, stories from my own life, and from the lives of my network of family, friends, coworkers, and other connections. One of my strengths (if I may be so bold) is my ability to take disparate concepts and weave them together with a story – I also practice this weekly in the classroom teaching Organizational Behaviour to first year students at Seneca – making concepts relatable, and interesting.

For so long I’ve thought about reading, writing and speaking skills as being the ingredients to storytelling, so when I heard one of the Instructors from the Directors College – Glenys Sylvestre - describe ACCOUNTING as the Language we use to describe the Financial Picture of an Organization, it suddenly clicked, that there really are so many other ways we tell stories, and those are just as important; perhaps, even more so, if English, or another spoken language is a barrier.

Think about the language we use to describe the telling of stories – “let me paint you a picture”, “I’ll sing you the song of…”. We frequently describe a piece of music as evoking emotion, and there are volumes that have been written about how important taste, and smell and colour, are to memory and mood.

So, how do I tell stories? Well clearly (I hope we can agree) writing is one of my primary vehicles; I was recently told (again) that I should consider Radio or Podcasting, along with teaching and giving speeches, using my voice is one of the ways I communicate. But I’m also a painter and a fine artist, I tell stories through image and colour. If you follow me on Instagram, you’ll know that I food is yet another way I express myself.

Despite being literate (as in financially literate) in basic accounting, I wouldn’t say that’s one of my primary languages – I certainly don’t have it listed on my resume (although I can QuickBooks with the best of them if someone sets it up for me). My musical friends often ask me to please “stop singing out loud”, in fact, so do my non-musical friends, not one of my languages either. But, if its one of your languages, there is still a chance for communication to take place.

This week, I’m reflecting on the varied and rich ways we tell the stories of our lives, of our hopes, dreams, thoughts and feelings to each other. I’m thinking about where I need to lean into my strengths to be of even more service and to make even more impact; and where I need to listen more closely to others.

What are your languages? Are you fluent? Can you find the proverbial bathroom? Can you understand, can you communicate to be understood? Tell me a story (seriously, drop some links to your work in the comments). What of "love languages" or coding? These too, are ways we tell our stories to each other.

My Call to Action This Week: expand how you think about language and communication, lean in and face the fear a bit, tell your stories, and “listen” to the stories of others. Because it’s the stories we tell that make us relatable, and drive understanding and empathy and connection.

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What should I be thinking about? Let’s collaborate, and share our stories – send my a DM or email me to explore ways we can work together.?

Other Stuff I Did This Week (shameless self promotion): I've opened an LI poll on usage of Crypto Wallets among my network; I'm hoping to understand the likely ROI of adding NFTs to the mix of member value and event specific incentives, and the communications challenges that might also be involved.

What to Read: The Rise of Servant Leadership from cio.com | Why Praising People At Work Can Be As Motivating As Money in the Globe and Mail h/t Tami Adams

What to Do: Register for the Canadian Meetings + Events Expo | EPIC Leadership Board Matching Event h/t Rickesh Lakhani | Support Cathy Cummings in her Walk to End ALS - as ED of the International Alliance of ALS Associations she works full-time for this cause as well | David McMurray (AKA Daddy Mac)'s Retirement Celebration @ Laurier

Cool Jobs (Paid and Volunteer): Director, Destination Events @ Destination Vancouver | Various Positions @ Community Foundations of Canada | Board Members and Committee Volunteers @ CSAE (Come volunteer with me!) | Coordinator, Standards Program @ Imagine Canada | Consultant @ Strategy Corp | Director, Operations and Project Management @ ETFO | Director, EDI @ Tamarack Institute | Annual Giving Officer @ Laurier | Executive Director @ RVTTC (contact my CSAE Board colleague Heather Terrence for more info)

Take Note: FREE Early Childhood Education Program at George Brown | The new collection from Shirley Sze at CJ Rocker with purchases supporting anti-human trafficking efforts in the Ukraine

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