Luvvie Ajayi Jones: Prepare to Raise a Useful Concern
Your group is planning an event, but the instructions are confusing for newcomers.
Choose, practice, reflectA practical lesson
The Lesson
Your group is planning an event, but the instructions are confusing for newcomers. You notice the problem and hesitate to say anything because everyone seems busy. Prepare a concern that names the issue and offers a useful way forward.
Luvvie Ajayi Jones’s Professional Troublemaker explores acting with courage despite fear. A constructive concern about shared work gives you a small opportunity to prepare a clear observation and a useful next step. Books, including Professional Troublemaker. Official biography.
Speaking up is easier to use when the concern is concrete. Describe what you observed, explain its likely effect and ask a question or suggest a next step. Avoid claiming to know another person’s intention. Your aim is to make the work better, not to win a judgment about someone.
Choose the channel carefully. A quick private message may suit a small wording issue; a group discussion may suit a shared planning decision. If speaking up carries serious personal risk, seek appropriate support rather than treating courage as an obligation to expose yourself.
Reflection
- What exactly did I observe?
- Who might be affected, and how?
- What question or small change could help?
Practice
This is an original SelfGrowthVideos exercise inspired by the ideas above.
- Choose a modest concern about a project or shared process.
- Write the observation without assigning motive.
- Add the practical effect and one proposed next step or question.
- Choose a suitable person and channel. Say the concern clearly, then listen for information you may have missed.
For event instructions, you might say: “The meeting email lists two start times. New participants may arrive late or miss the introduction. Which time should we keep, and can we send a correction?” You have named a fixable problem without attacking the organizer.
Review
Afterward, note whether the concern was understood and what action was agreed. Did new information change your view? Is a follow-up needed? Courage includes taking responsibility for accuracy and revising your position when the facts change.
Go Deeper
Explore the Luvvie Ajayi Jones teacher profile and the Courage learning hub. Choose one related idea to try before collecting more material.