How to Talk About Race: A Panel Discussion

What It Means to Speak Truth to Power

"Speaking truth to power" has become a common phrase to use when speaking about truth and/or power in a discussion that encourages courageous discourse on controversial matters. It is an old phrase coined back in the 1950s by the Quakers and is defined as "a non-violent political tactic, employed by dissidents against the received wisdom or propaganda of governments they regard as oppressive, authoritarian or an ideocracy." (Wikipedia) I've heard it overused in a lot of ways and not with a clear purpose in its meaning within the context of what was being spoken. We latch onto certain words and phrases as language goes in and out of style on almost a monthly basis. In this current generation, there seems to be a new word or phrase created daily and then abandoned when they become overused like worn out sneakers from last year's fall collection. But words have staying power even if you get tired of hearing the...

How to Stop Interruptions in Conversations

So you're sitting in a meeting, and you begin to answer a question that has been directed toward you by your boss. You get through about half of your response when a colleague jumps in and offers his take and essentially silences you. There is evidence that if you are a woman, this will happen to you more often than if you are a man, and it's likely to happen to you by both genders. Interruptions in communications like this happen all the time whether you're in a group offering your opinion or one-on-one sharing a story. Regardless of the setting, we all find it annoying and rude. These disruptions of dialogue hamper thought processes, contribute to misunderstandings, and devalue people's input. So what do we do when they keep happening to us? A few worthy suggestions can be found in Kathryn Vasel's article, "Next time someone interrupts you in a meeting, try this" . But what...

Taming the Tongue

You don't have to be a bible reader or believer to know that the following statement is true in the book of James: "...but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison." Seem a little strong? Not really. It's one of those hard truths we don't like to face. As much as we like to think we can control what we say, many of us fail at it. We don't often think before we speak, and that lack of forethought has ruined many a relationship. How many apology tours have you seen in the media these past few years with notable people having to smooth over some ill-spoken statement based on their biases? How many celebrities have had to make nice with GLAAD because of some homophobic slur or with some minority organization because of racially charged words toward a particular ethnic group? It happens regularly because the tongue seems to take on a life of its own. And with the ubiquit...

Talk Ain't Cheap

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