To speak up or not to speak up?

It can be difficult to know whether to speak up or stay silent in conversations, be they in person, online, in your workplace, or with your family and friends.

In those moments of uncertainty, I find it useful to have some prompts to help me navigate through my contradictory thoughts and reach a decision.

Here they are: 

• Is my silence causing harm in some way (either directly or indirectly)?
• If I speak up, will it cause harm (either directly or indirectly)? 
• Do I feel emotionally triggered by this topic? If so, have I attended to my emotional response first before replying?
• How would I feel if I was watching someone else walk away from this conversation?
• If I choose to speak up, will I have the capacity to hold the ensuing conversation? In other words, do I have the time and energy to engage in the conversation I invite by speaking up?
• Do I have a personal or professional connection to this topic?
• If not, what or who is prompting me to speak?
• Have I thought about the topic before now?
• Is this something I have any depth of knowledge about?
• Am I operating out of my lane right now, or is this something we should all be discussing together, as a community?
• If I stay silent, will people assume consent with their ideas? If so, am I comfortable with that? 
• Is there an emotion I’m trying to quell by either speaking up or staying silent?

If you've more prompts to recommend or want to share what these prompts sparked for you,come on over to our newsletter ‘A Life Made Visible’ where all the conversation takes place.