Perspective & Perception, all in the eye of the beholder
It is an honour to have a platform where I have the opportunities to share the values I believe in and support.
Recently, I was invited to give a online class to high students around online safety. One of the topics I chose to focus on was Cyber Bullying.
When making slide packs for presentation, I take a more graphical approach to slide pack creation.
Initially I landed on an image of a girl looking upset in front of her computer. In my mind this was a good visual representations of someone who is upset by what they just saw on their computer.
For years now, I have developed a habit to never send / release / publish any document without having a second or third pair of eyes over it. This time, I would be really inspired by the feedback (as evidenced by the writing of this post!).
I showed this to my boss, Chris, and he gave me an angle I hadn’t yet considered.
Why did I land on a girl being upset? I hadn’t thought about the underlying message this sent. Sure I was on the sadder end of Cyber Bullying many years ago. (Before the term was even coined!) It was likely my own bias that gravitated me towards the image.
Armed with this feedback, I re-created my slide with a new a series of images. I chose a mix of famous professionals, singers, an actor, a footballer, and overall, mixed between men and women. They all represented a group that is privileged by their position in the public limelight, but, all still afflicted by Cyber Bullying, nonetheless.
Similar theme, but very different underlying message…
The important take away for me in the change of this slide, is that we are all a product of our own experiences. How much of what we put out there is based on projection? When I created the first version of my slide, was I projecting? Was the young sad girl a version of my unresolved feelings from personal experiences? I am left to wonder how much of these unresolved feelings seep into our personal and professional lives unknowingly; subconsciously influencing how we behave, respond and act?
It’s OK to have biases, and its OK to stick to our guns and what we believe in. But I think it is also important to look at your messaging from different angles to appeal to the wider audience. One way to do this is to get someone else to review your material and apply their own perspective alongside your own.
The next time you need to release a report or give a presentation, get it reviewed by someone who can challenge your thinking and provide constructive feedback. You will be amazed at what you can learn about yourself.