Speak Up: Say What Needs to Be Said and Hear What Needs to Be Heard

by Megan Reitz, John Higgins

“A powerful book on an important topic.  Speak Up helps us understand the subtle elements that contribute to our holding back valuable ideas and observations.  Their TRUTH framework – which is as practical as it is rigorous – identifies essential elements to help individuals find their voice. “ Amy Edmondson, Professor, Harvard Business School, Author, The Fearless Organization (Wiley, 2019)   What you say or don’t say in a conversation can have life-defining consequences on ourselves and those around us. Speak Up helps you to navigate power differences so you can speak up with confidence and enable others to find their voice in a way that will be heard.   Our day-to-day conversations define how we see ourselves and how we’re seen.  The choices we make about what to say and who to say it to are decisive factors in whether we get promoted, or side-lined. Whether we steer clear of trouble, or find ourselves in it up to our necks. With daily scandals hitting the headlines and the continuous need to innovate to survive, creating a more honest, open, fulfilling and productive workplace has never been more pressing.   Our conversational choices harness the ideas and intelligence of the people we work with, or result in that revolutionary concept never seeing the light of day. They make us feel proud or ashamed of ourselves for what we have or have not said. They cause us to flourish and feel motivated, or result in us feeling dissatisfied and resentful.    Speak Up helps you to navigate power differences and speak up with confidence in a way that you will be heard. But it’s no good speaking up if there isn’t anyone listening so we also help you to understand how your power enables others to speak up and how it might silence them.

Genres: Business, Leadership

192 pages, Paperback

Published July 20, 2019

Reviews

[Kate Kooiker · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read for a leadership ‘book report’ at Nightlight in response to our most recent employee experience survey. Main take always: encouraging speaking is largely about how I listen. Both my speaking and listening are influenced by my understanding of the power dynamics in any given situation (from my perspective and empathetically from the perspective of the other people involved) - power is perception…a perception that will change based on assessed risk, where trust lies, politics/how I see decisions to be made, the titles/value assigned to them, and my ability to effectively use conversational tools.

It’s too easy to forget I may be intimidating.
Both formal and informal opportunities for speaking need to be baked into the systems of the workplace (culture) for speaking up to be the norm.

[Shahine Ardeshir · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is rarer than you think to come across a book about any aspect of management or leadership that does exactly what it says on the tin. This is one of those rare books.

This book doesn't attempt to boil the ocean: It hones in on a very clear need: Helping people and leaders in organisations learn how to speak up themselves, or encourage others around them to speak up. It's based on solid research, that is specific and useful in its outcomes. The chapters are short, the language is easy to read, and the recommendations are grounded and practical.

Overall, a joy to read, if you need advice in speaking or encouraging speaking up. I'd highly recommend it.

[Helen Nix · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best overview I’ve seen of the politics of speaking/ listening

This is an incredible book. It had never really occurred to me that what and how we communicate is as much about power as the content of what is being said. I consider myself an excellent communicator, but having read this book I can now understand why things just didn’t land as well as they should or could have done: I hadn’t understood my own privilege or adequately considered the position of those I was communicating with.

This meticulously researched guide sets out the ‘TRUTH’ model of communication:

T - to what extent do I TRUST the value of my contribution
R - what are the RISKS in saying this
U - do I UNDERSTAND the politics here - will I stand on somebody’s toes?
T - TITLES - what labels am I applying to myself, other people, and what labels might they apply to me? E.g. what is my privilege?
H - HOW can I best communicate this message?

But equally, it applies that model to how you LISTEN. Do you:
T - Trust other people’s contributions, or do you think you have nothing to learn?
R - Are my colleagues taking a RISK in speaking to me (many people are far more intimidating than they think they are).
U - Do I understand the politics people are navigating in giving me information - e.g. are they giving me a positive account of the data because they want me to stay happy? Or is this the unvarnished truth?
T - TITLEs - do people attach labels to you: do they think I’m ‘nice,’ ‘stressed’, logical, a ‘boss’?
H - Do I know HOW to help others speak up? Just saying ‘you can tell me’ won’t necessarily cut it. Do I listen with curiosity, or react with judgement.

So, if you want to take your communications to the next level, this is a REALLY good way into that topic. It does have some very academic content, so it isn’t an easy read in places, but it is a technical area. I gained a lot from it and I hope you do too.

[Nienke · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some good concepts in here, especially the reinforcement of the role of power. Difficult to overestimate when trying to create a culture where it is encouraged to speak up. Even when, after arriving in a position of power, we still feel like the person who started out years ago. We are not, we are defined by how others interpret our role, now how we do that.

Some business books also make for an engaging read. This one less so, almost boring at times hence the somewhat lower number of stars.

[Zoë Routh · Rating 5 out of 5]

simple and powerful insights and techniques

I found this a great shirt read on how power is used in organisations, how we can navigate office politics, how we can speak up and listen up more effectively.

This is not ‘just be brave and speak your truth’. This is about acknowledging there are games at work, different power cultures, and we need to consider all of these in order to effective.

Highly recommended.

[Niki · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a webinar written as a book, full of anecdotes and clever sections/visuals, on communication in the workplace. I did appreciate the TRUTH framework and the authors' mirror approach to looking at both sides of the coin when it comes to a worker-supervisor/leader relationship. While a lot of it is dedicated to empowering people to strategically and confidently speak up at work, it does also acknowledge what a healthy limit looks.

A nice quick read of common sense packaged well.

[Weronika Niemczyk · Rating 4 out of 5]

The content is great but it's rather hard to read...I am not a fan of the writing - it's like a workbook for school.