Riding the Elephant in the Room

If you have read my blog for a little while now, you will know I like to use animal analogies (Rhino and Hippo). Easily relatable, it’s part of an ongoing focus to improve how I communicate (being understood) and make messages easily actionable by inspiring people. I got a great reminder yesterday re-listening to the Safety on Tap podcast when Andrew interviewed Jen Jackson from Jaxzyn. A definite recommendation for those who want to be ‘The few who move the many‘

A few of my favourite short bites were the concepts of;

• Language that lands
• Ride the Elephant 
• Human Speak vs Corporate Jargon 

I had a chance last night to utilise the above concepts talking to a small group of people looking to start work in a tunnelling work environment. The basic concepts set out in the podcast served me well over dinner, the yarning circle, and even 30 minutes afterwards talking separately to individuals.

It was liberating being unshackled from the need to meet a self-imposed style of language which I commonly use in my work environment. Being more genuine (speaking human), and leading with riding the elephants in the room, was much more pleasurable and engaging for the group.

Elephants I rode on:

• No such thing as common sense, be humble and curious to seek and understand not assume
• How a masculine culture in construction creates barriers to asking for help including the signs to be self-aware of and look for in others. Different coping strategies and sharing these with your support network to help others
• Work leaking into home and home leaking into work – How long hours at work can affect your home life and family
• Safety as an ethical responsibility and a representation of character rather than paperwork
• Tackling tough conversations (prior to confrontation) to bridge a lack of understanding of different cultures in the work environment

Thoroughly recommend that for your next facilitation or initiative, that you consider Jen’s points in the podcast to level up your communication skills and ‘activate’ people.

Similarly, if you want to Level up your storytelling ability, check out here for some free resources