The Poetry of Passion

June 25, 2008 by · Leave a Comment
Photo by Matthew Fang
Over the weekend in New York, I was fortunate to see a stunning performance by a beautiful poet named Toyia Taylor, who is not only a talented artist, but a fierce community activist in NY. She spoke to me very powerfully because I’m a poet also, though I’d never thought to share anything as personal as she did with our group of women leaders. She performed a breathtaking piece about her mother being abused by a man she was with. Her mother had been beaten so badly while she was pregnant that Toyia’s sister only lived to be one year old. Toyia shared this poem to illustrate to the group that no matter what our past looks like, and when we think we can’t go another step, we can always draw on our strength to get us through. She said that telling our stories is what helps us to heal.

What struck me about Toyia’s performance was that she clearly showed us why she has a strong conviction for her work she does in the nonprofit sector. Toyia is the Urban Leaders Program Director at Girls for Gender Equity in NY. Here is a woman who has found her voice and is sharing it with the world. And no one can deny that kind of authenticity.

You all know that I’ve been thinking a lot about the way we communicate in the nonprofit sector…and I wonder what would happen if we all shared with each other our passion more than we do now. When we met people, what if the question wasn’t “what do you do?” but “why are you here?” I suspect we can all be inspired much more everyday and keep us moving in this social change work, despite our sector’s challenges.

I want to hear your song. Why do you do this nonprofit work? What’s the passion that keeps you going on the days when your paycheck is as short as bills are long?

Share your comments or email me at rosettathurman@gmail.com. I’d love to tell your stories to as many people as possible.

Filed Under: Inspiration · Tagged With: ,

Generation Y Needs to Speak Differently to Be Heard

June 23, 2008 by · 3 Comments

Over the weekend, I had the pleasure of brainstorming with many Baby Boomer age women leaders in the business and nonprofit sectors. I asked them how young professionals can be more effective in getting our ideas across to older generations. How, exactly, should we communicate when we’re not speaking to the choir of our friends, peers, and colleagues our age?

I got a lot of feedback on this one…the most important being that we have to listen before we speak. This goes back to the advice of Dr. Audrey Alvarado, now retired Executive Director of the National Council of Nonprofit Associations, to give to the next generation:

The one skill that I have found that works in almost every situation is to LISTEN before you speak and withhold judgment until you get the full story or try to understand where a person is coming from. If we dismiss people because they don’t understand how to hyperlink to a webpage (this may be way too self-revealing!) you may lose the opportunity to learn something from them because you discount them altogether. Look for ways to learn from them and appreciate what they may teach you (because I sure appreciated learning how to hyperlink).

So the first thing is that younger generations have to listen, even if we think we know the answer, and can predict exactly what’s going to come out of our older colleagues’ mouth. I also learned from the older women I spoke to a few other key things that Generation Y needs to remember whenever we’re communicating across generations:

  • Many older professionals with 20 years of experience in a field resent young mavericks that are doing it all at such a young age, while they had to wait years for the credibility and respect in their profession
  • Older people want to be respected at work and don’t want hear their Gen Y employees whining and reminding them of their immature kids that are the same age
  • Baby Boomer leaders feel than Gen Y brings a sense of too much entitlement and righteousness to our work
  • Baby Boomers want to be asked for help in reaching our goals, want to know their experience is respected enough for us to learn from
  • Gen Y should not seek to tell older leaders what they should do, but instead ask for their help in creating shared solutions to the issues we are all facing in the workplace and in our professions
  • Gen Y should not announce their age unless asked directly – no matter how much we’ve accomplished, older people are often put off by young people who claim to be experts in anything (this is regardless of education and the fact that we may hold significant leadership or organizational responsibility)

These one-on-one conversations were very helpful to me. Sometimes, the entire outcome of a conversation can be transformed simply by saying the same thing a little differently, taking these concepts into account. While most of the research on generational shift may bear many of these concepts out, there’s nothing like hearing firsthand what the older generation thinks when Gen Y opens their mouths. I hope to incorporate all these juicy insider notes as I move forward in my work to promote the next generation as viable change agents in this country.

Is there anything that you’ve learned about communicating across generations that you could share with the Perspectives community?

Filed Under: Next Generation Leadership · Tagged With: ,

The Power of Public Speaking

March 20, 2008 by · 5 Comments
If you are what you say you are
A superstar
Then have no fear
The camera’s here
and the microphones
and they wanna know
Oh oh oh yeah

Dear readers, I have been trying to bounce back from a horrible case of the flu I had last week, hence the lack of posting on this blog lately. I’ve had to focus my time preparing for several speaking engagements I have coming up in the next 2 months on the next generation of nonprofit leadership. Public speaking, for me, is a killer. I admit that I’m a great writer, hell I was an English major, but when it comes to conveying my ideas in front of an audience, it scares the hell out of me. I’m an extreme introvert by nature (and according to Myers-Briggs), so interacting with a hundred people in one day can be exciting, but incredibly draining for me. I’m not a natural, so I probably overprepare for each time I have to speak in front of folks. But I’ve come to realize how important this skill is. If you want to lead, you have to be willing to put your ideas out there in public forums. A good speech or presentation can turn the tide on a public issue and reframe the debate in a way that folks hadn’t looked at an issue before. Take Barack Obama’s amazing speech on race he delivered this week.

Phenomenal. Here he tells a story about race in America that we all know, but we only tend to look at the issue in divisive terms. The beauty of Obama’s speech is that it makes you think about the issue of race in a different way, a more hopeful way. And that’s so powerful.

Leaders have to be willing to be that powerful, to step out so far away from the status quo so that it’s refreshing to people, that it’s inspiring enough for people to believe in you and take action. In an age of media bullshit and constant spin by politicians and our top decisionmakers, people want to see who you are. They want to know your truth. But the fact is, good public speakers aren’t born, they’re made. So what am I doing to prepare myself? Of course, being the academic I am, I took a class. Here’s some of what I learned, and some resources I’ve been using to craft my own message to take around the country about the need for the nonprofit sector to support emerging leaders in our organizations.

Good public speakers…

  • Use metaphor
  • Tell stories
  • Are authentic
  • Speak honestly
  • Have passion
  • Maintain confidence
  • Use varying tone/inflection/timing
  • Have a strong physical presence
  • Speak clearly and succinctly
  • Use empathy
  • Maintain good body language

Andy Goodman gets it right every time. He’s teaching the rest of us how to give a great presentation in Why Bad Presentations Happen to Good Causes. I read the entire PDF in one sitting. Amazing tips for creating effective PowerPoints and incorporating stories into your presentations. Also Presentation Zen shows off some of the best speeches and gives resources on how to replicate their style. Cliff Atkinson’s Beyond Bullet Points is pretty useful, too.

I’ve got to admit that I have all the passion in the world, but unfortunately that alone doesn’t make me a good speaker. It’s something I know I have to work at, and I’m taking this bull by the horn one day at a time. I have a lot to say and I want to share my perspective as a young leader, but to be successful at engaging others, I had to recognize it as a personal challenge and look at public speaking as an ongoing stretch assignment for myself. The good news is that I can only get better with practice and preparation. Does anyone have any tips to add to this list? I could use all the help I can get!

Filed Under: Career Advice, Leadership · Tagged With: , ,

You Don’t Have to Have an American Express Card to Make a Difference

July 9, 2007 by · 2 Comments

I’m sure by now, everyone who owns a television has seen American Express’ commercial for their new Members Project. The Members Project is a new initiative that gives American Express cardholders the chance to vote for one idea that will have a positive impact in the world. No, it’s not deja-vu, it’s just kind of similar to the Case Foundation’s Make it Your Own Awards. Anyway, the idea with the most votes will be rolling in American Express moola up to $5 million. Check out the star-studded commercial.

The top 50 projects have already been announced. The top five (in order of popularity):

  1. Down Syndrome Awareness
  2. Plant a Million Trees
  3. Help African Children Orphaned by AIDS
  4. Treating Our Troops
  5. Cure Autism

Wow. Who know credit card-carrying Americans cared so much about Down Syndrome and tree planting. Also note that the slogan for the Project is, “You don’t have to be famous to make a difference -— just a Cardmember.” This is a very smart idea on the part of American Express for two very good reasons: this is an incredible public relations boon and will surely bring a significant increase in new cardholders who want to participate in this kind of big collaborative philanthropy. I certainly commend the corporations and foundations with the big bucks to spread it around as much as possible to the nonprofit community. The Members Project is also one more wonderful way for Americans to get exposed to philanthropy and giving in an engaged way.

However. We in the nonprofit community should also strive to let the public know that you don’t have to have an American Express card to make a difference. We need not depend on consumerism and cause-related marketing to drive philanthropic giving. We need to tell the public at every turn how we are helping our communities and we need their support. Who are the 1,500 people who voted for Down Syndrome awareness? Tell them they can check out the National Down Syndrome Society to find resources in their community.

Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not mad at American Express. Quite the contrary. But my advice to the Members Project participants? Sure, go ahead, sign up and vote for your favorite project. But if you want to make a REAL impact on your community, all you need to do are 4 simple steps:

  1. Find a cause you care about.
  2. Locate the nonprofits in your community (or even nationally) that are doing this work well.
  3. Donate your time as a volunteer or make cash donations to help them do the work for the cause that you care about.
  4. Repeat. Often.

If more Americans were working together on issues we care about in our communities, we would surely make much more of an impact than one corporate behomoth giving a one-time $5 million gift to make a public splash. Let’s not forget that.

Filed Under: Philanthropy · Tagged With: ,

Getting (Inter)Personal at the Fundraising School

May 24, 2007 by · 4 Comments

I just returned to DC from Indianapolis, home of the fabulous Fundraising School, part of the Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University. I was there for a 2-day training on Interpersonal Communication for Fundraising, The crux of the course was based on being able to discern different behavorial and communication styles based on the DiSC assessment model. DiSC is an acronym for the four styles it pinpoints: Dominance, influence, Steadiness, and Conscientiousness. I learned a lot about myself and my own communications style and how I can use this knowledge to be adaptive when interacting with funders and donors. Through the assessment I learned that my behavioral tendencies lean toward being both a high C and a high D style:

  • Conscientious – relating to structure and organization. C’s are sticklers for quality and like planning ahead, employing systematic approaches, and checking and re-checking for accuracy. They like to do quality work and do it right the first time. They don’t show much emotion and like to communicate in writing.
  • Dominant – relating to control, power and assertiveness. High D’s are strong-willed, strong-minded people who like accepting challenges, taking action, and getting immediate results. They are driven by accomplishment and personal achievement and like to communicate by telling or dictating and using persuasion.

That made me wonder what this means for me when I meet face-to-face with someone who is my exact opposite, an S or an i style:

  • Steadiness - People with High S styles scores want a steady pace, security, and don’t like sudden change. S’s are helpful people who like working behind the scenes, performing in consistent and predictable ways, and being good listeners. They like to communicate through listening and are driven by harmony and relationships.
  • Influence – People with High I scores influence others through talking and activity and tend to be emotional. I’s are “people people” who like participating on teams, sharing ideas, and energizing and entertaining others. They like to communicate by selling or persuading people and have a hard time following through. I’s are driven by recognition and inclusion.

Our instructor stressed to us that, as a fundraiser, it’s important to be able to “size up” your audience and tailor your behavior to them. So these are my notes to self when meeting with a High S or i style funder or donor:

  • Concentrate on building deeper, more personal relationships – don’t just “cut to the chase” and dive into talking about programs. Ask about kids, pets, the new boat the donor just purchased.
  • Plan out each meeting with a kind of script so I know what I might say and how I might respind to the donor’s questions. Prepare thoroughly for each meeting so I have a sense of structure. I can even map out the personal, relationship-y questions I want to remember to ask.
  • Find a way to allow the donor to see where they fit into my organization – how will they be recognized? How can they get involved?
  • Don’t keep these kinds of donors at arms’ length. They would welcome hugs, and lots of eye contact.
  • Don’t try to control the flow or hijack the conversation with my own agenda. Let the donor talk about their passions. I can try to connect them later on.
  • Tell stories to “liven up” conversations, especially ones about complex concepts or programs.

Wow. What a class. ALL fundraisers should know what their natural behavioral and communications tendencies are and keep them in mind (or in check!) when you talk to donors. Philanthropy is all about connecting people to your cause, and that can be really difficult when you don’t know the best ways to communicate with different kinds of people.

Filed Under: Philanthropy, Professional Development · Tagged With: , , ,
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