October 5, 2005
On Prejudice
Prejudice is so insidious. And it resides in us all. Recognizing and figuring out how to deal with prejudices is a key component of effective communications.
We have so many preconceptions and so many past experiences imprinted in our brains that we come to practically any encounter with a strong set of prejudices (prejudgments).
I noticed it this morning at a board committee meeting. Like most non-profit boards, this one has a specific mission, and its board members tend to see that mission in stronger shades of black and white than - perhaps - the general public. A guest speaker who represents an organization that may not always be in sync with the mission of this board made what I thought was a balanced and responsible presentation. But I tend to feel favorable toward this speaker and believe strongly in the mission of his organization.
So, I brought my prejudices to the meeting....as did others.
Those who were not naturally sympathetic to the speaker's organization tended to be less impressed than I. For some of them, I wondered whether there was anything he could have said that they would have truly embraced.
I asked Carol once what she thought made a good marriage, and she said understanding how the other person is feeling.
The same goes for effective communications. What's the other person feeling? What are your audiences' prejudices? What can you say or do that will acknowledge them and turn them around to your advantage?
The Limits of Advertising
"Brand integration" is when a particular product pops up frequently in a television program or motion picture. The brand becomes an integral part of the entertainment...it really goes beyond product placement. There are now companies and divisions of major agencies specializing in this new method of subtly exposing audiences to advertisers' products.
The advertising lines are fuzzier than ever.
I notice this, too, on public radio...where now the "brought to you by...." credits often extend into rather lengthy [dare I say] commercials!
Personally, I think the ever-expanding ways in which we can reach consumers are wonderfully exciting and challenging. They encourage us to think way beyond traditional solutions and really put a premium on brain power.
posted by David Rawle @ 11:12 PM
2 comments
2 Comments:
I agree with your smart wife. Understanding how other people feel (empathy) is one of the five elements of emotional intelligence. My observation is that most adults have little empathy and even less appreciation for its power - in one's personal life and business life.
At Wings for kids we start teaching children in kindergarten the importance of empathy (and how to be empathetic.) Wish I'd had Wings when I was so young. But it's never too late.
Try this little exercise at work. Pick four people with whom you work closely. Do these four things: 1. Ask them these four questions: are you a morning person or a nighttime person, what's your favorite ice cream flavor, if you could change anything about your job what would it be, and would you rather chat with people at work a few minutes before you get going on your work or just come in and get down to work? 2. alone, sit and think about their answers. 3. make a list of things you could do or say over the coming weeks that would be responsive to what you learned (for example, if your co-worker said they like to chat before starting to work, you could write on your list, "chat with Mary for a few minutes when I come in to work" or you could avoid setting meetings with her in the mornings because she's not a morning person.) 4. feel good when you see the response to your empathy.
Great post David.
Having arrived in Prague and met fellow students from 15 different countries, I've found my greatest tool for ignoring prejudgments is to listen to my intuition and as Carol notes - try to understand how they feel.
With this approach, it's fascinating how quickly my mind forms new impressions.
Another dynamic - forming impressions when there is a language barrier. Identifying emotions becomes a whole different(and much more interesting) ballgame.
Hope all is well with you and Carol!
ck
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