People have told us they're using our sisterly banter to start conversations with others (family, friends, and even in classrooms), so Black created "Conversation Starters".
| I never really thought about self-advocacy until Black brought it up in a conversation about “advocacy,”and, even then, I wasn’t sure what she meant. But after she explained it’s speaking up for yourself and your needs, myfirst thought was how that might be OK for others; for me, it totally goesagainst my nature. Black might be ableto toot her own horn, but I’m definitely more reserved. (There’s anunderstatement!) Until I realized that Iwas creating roadblocks in mymind that didn’t need to be there. OK, maybe I’d need some practice, including how best to communicate mymessage, but even I could potentially become a self-advocate. In fact, I realized my daughters were alreadyself-advocates. For example, my older daughter,Natasha, has learning challenges (Black calls them “DIFF-abilities”, meaningshe has different abilities) and in high school learned to self-advocate by askingfor accommodations. While my younger daughter,Sawyer, was a good student so in high school was put on a college prep track;until she self-advocated to be allowed to take some CTE (career and technicaleducation) classes. I was merely inattendance at these meetings yet saw the power of recognizing your strengthsand/or weaknesses and respectfully stating what you need and why. |
| Red’s other default setting is thinking she cannot dosomething until she tries it and realizes she can. It is similar to when she thought she could not“do” personal finance until she was forced to, and lo-and-behold, she could. Aswith any skill – with practice and preparation (think of it as building yourcase), it becomes easier. I will admit that I never stopped to think about theimportance and power of self-advocacy, as my entire life I have always been aself-advocate, although it was only recently that I learned there was a (nice)term to describe assertively speaking up for yourself. Since I have always focused on where I wantedto be in the future and worked backward, I would identify what I needed to getthere. In the workplace, I kept a file where I accumulatedexamples of my skills and strengths and would look at any potential“shortcomings” as opportunities to learn something new. And, if I needed help from others,respectfully communicated that need to the appropriate people. |
red head assets.rebelmouse.io 
Black assets.rebelmouse.io THE CONVERSATION STARTERS
- Whatdoes self-advocacy mean to you? Do youthink you could be a self-advocate? Ifso, for what? And why?
- Why should you learn to advocate for yourself?
- What are the potential benefits of advocatingfor yourself? What are the possiblerisks?
- List three of your successes/accomplishments(in the workplace or your personal life). What strengths or skills do they demonstrate?
Our banter may start with two sisters, but it’s getting families, friends, and even classrooms talking.
October is Health Literacy Month, and if you've ever struggled to understand medical terminology, figure out what health information to trust, or weigh the risks and benefits of treatment options, you already know why health literacy matters.
Each of us approaches health information very differently, but as you'll discover, even Black, who enjoys statistics and research, finds navigating healthcare complicated. And Red? Just thinking about it can give her a headache!
| As a mom, over the years, I've had to become familiar with various children's health issues and basic healthcare (and don't get me started on health insurance). But whenever it was something more than the common cold or flu, a stomach ache, or the usual scrapes and bruises, I felt like I was back in school. And between the terminology and trying to understand how the body works, I often felt like I needed a nursing degree. Not to mention, there's so much information on the internet, it can be overwhelming as well as confusing and sometimes scary. Over the years, I've also had to deal with my aging parents' more serious health issues, and I've lost count of the pages of notes I've taken and questions I've asked. Or the conversations discussing risks vs. benefits that I've had with medical professionals and my sister. (I'm glad Black finds statistics "fun" and can look at them unemotionally because they give me a headache.) |
| Until recently, I had never heard the term "health literacy," and when I first did, I initially thought about general literacy skills such as the ability to read and understand numbers. Skills that are essential if you are sick and need health information and services, but also impact health decisions that should be simple, like filling out forms, taking over-the-counter drugs (aspirin, cold and flu remedies, etc.), and learning about the things we should (or should not) do to live a healthier life and reduce the chances of serious illness. But then, I thought about how anytime I had to deal with a health issue, especially ones that could potentially be serious, it was a tedious, complicated, and technical challenge. And, at the risk of sounding arrogant, I like to consider myself well-read, pragmatic, and comfortable with numbers and research documents. In other words, although it impacts some people more than others, the issue of "health literacy" affects us all. (And, that does not even address what it does to the cost of healthcare.) |
THE CONVERSATION STARTERS
- Before now, have you ever thought about "health literacy"? How would you describe it? What impact does it have on your life? How can it impact your ability to be successful in the workplace?
- Why do health and healthcare topics seem so daunting?
- Does health literacy only impact you when you are facing health issues? Why or why not?
- Have you ever had a medical situation or condition that required you to learn more about it? Where did you seek information? Did you have any problems learning about it?
Sometimes, the hardest part of a meaningful conversation is simply getting started ...
| I love that people told us they were using our sisterly banter to start conversations with family, friends, coworkers, and even in classrooms. But I had to laugh when you then decided to create an assortment of CONVERSATION STARTERS. |
| | It seemed logical to me. Begin with us looking at a real-life topic and providing our very different (to put it mildly) perspectives. Then, provide a few questions to help continue the conversation, consider other viewpoints, and perhaps learn something new. About the topic and one another. |
| The best part is that there are no “right” or “wrong” answers. You may not agree, but you can still listen, be polite, and respect differing viewpoints and opinions. The point is to … |
Red assets.rebelmouse.io Stop, think, listen, and talk.
Red & Black Conversation Starters … Pick a topic. Read the banter. Choose a question that interests you. Or create your own. The questions are simply there to get the conversation started — where it goes from there is up to you.
P.S. – Readers are telling us that our weekly newsletters are getting them thinking, talking, and even laughing. But don’t take our word for it, sign up at the bottom of this page and see for yourself!
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