After reading Speaking While Female from last week’s New York Times article, I remembered that in my blog archives, I had previously written this. I thought I would share it with you, and especially with Fabienne Cassagne , Celine Schillinger and Véronique Buttin.
What a Crazy and Lovely Female Fish (disclosure: my nickname is Dory…) Can Teach Us about Communication Skills?
Remember Finding Nemo? Pixar’s animated movie. It’s a story of trust, of empowerment, of Father and Son, of friendship and tolerance,(remember the gang of sharks), of personal development and leadership. (You can see I am quite a fan of Pixar and I could find endless interpretations for each movie.) It’s a typical hero’s journey. Just replace « whale » with « Corporate Dinosaur » or « Corporate Newspeak ».
But it’s also a lesson in communication skills for women, thanks to the hilarious Dory.
What does it teach us about communication skills and leadership?
« If you believe you can speak whale and if you are fearless and bold enough to speak out and speak up, whales will actually speak back! »
Powerful!
- Relax. Take a big breath. Just start. Once you start to speak, it’s much easier to keep speaking.
- Ask for directions! Be bold and ask the questions nobody dares to ask.
- Believe in Yourself. Dare to be different.Do it even if others tell you you can’t, if they think you’re ridiculous, like incredulous Marlin (You can’t speak whale!). Your heart may beat faster, people will start focusing on you, but do it! Listen to this little voice inside which says « Go for It! »
- Enjoy your talk. Find a reason to be excited about your presentation. Here Dory has fun doing something completely new and exploring different sounds…She’s playing!
- Little fellow can speak to big fellow. If you speak from the heart, you will be heard. Your confidence and passion will engage others. Be ambitious. You too, small fish, little fellow, you can speak to « big fellows »!
What about you, do you speak whale?