← The Communicator
The Communicator · № 17

Represented Others

Represented a group you belong to, team, club, family, peers, to an outside audience or authority, and spoke for them well enough that they felt accurately represented.

The idea

Representing a group means saying what they want said, not what your kid would say. Have them check in with the group before speaking: what do you want me to communicate. Then say that, even if their own view differs. Faithful representation builds trust. Freelancing destroys it. The kid who can hold that line gets asked to represent the group again. The one who editorializes doesn't.

Steps
  1. Identify the group and the audience. Be clear who you speak for.
  2. Check in with the group: what do you want me to say?
  3. Speak for the group. Resist editorializing.
  4. Report back what happened.
What counts

Your kid represented a group to an outside audience and the group said they were accurately represented. A note from the group is plenty.