Years ago when I was keynoting to teenagers, I often got two different reactions to my speeches:
- A few teachers would come to me after my speech and say “That was great, but it might have been too heavy. These kids can’t handle what you said to them.”
- The teenagers themselves would come to me after my speech and thank me for talking about the stuff that they desperately WANTED to talk about, but that no one would let them acknowledge.
The teens expressed such relief at being able to bring the hard facts and feelings into the light. By opening up the conversation, no one had to feel shame and fear around their uneasiness or questions any longer.
The topics were still heavy, but they could be carried collectively, which made them feel lighter.
What happens in your organization?
Do you talk about the heavy stuff?
Or avoid it?
The world is heavy and all of us are dealing with the weight of it. Let’s have the heavy conversations and share the load!
And if you want help doing this, message me. I’ll do the heavy lifting.
