#76. Creating an Environment Where Speaking Up is Okay

This Conversation Will Help You…

1. Acknowledge that sometimes people have to bring up difficult topics with friends/ loved ones
2. Communicate with friends, family and acquaintances about the importance of accountability and boundaries
3. Say how they would want to approach others

Think About This First

• This is a conversation about having a conversation. We will all encounter situations in which we want to speak up about something someone else is saying - this conversation gives the opportunity to think about this reality before it happens and create an environment in which speaking up is okay.

Having the Conversation

Start here:

What are things or topics that you would want to bring up with friends or loved ones?

What if they say something that is homophobic or racist?

Are there certain slurs that you really don’t want people to use around you?

What if someone says something that is blaming a rape victim?

What role do you think that friends and loved ones have in keeping each other accountable?

Continue:

What are ways that you’d want someone to approach you if they felt uncomfortable about something you had said or done?

What are some things they could do that would make it helpful for you?

What if I had to say something to you, what could I do to make it feel okay and not as bad?

What are some ways you would react to someone confronting you about your behavior in this way?

Keep Talking:  

What are ways that you could approach others based on the ways you’d want to be approached?

Do you think some things are universal?

How could you ask other people this kind of thing?

Do you think it would be helpful to talk about this possibility before it comes up?

What would be the benefits and drawbacks to doing that?