By Slavi Kaloferov
What does voice mean to you?
To mention a few frames we explored in our Changemakers training, “voice” can be seen as a:
- communication instrument: maybe to get things done or to express oneself
- sign of agency: a clear individual with a unique perspective behind it
- advocacy tool: standing for those who can’t, and giving them space.
All of these frames concern me, whether we think about our own voice or someone else’s.
“Why?” — I kept asking myself.
The inherent individualism
Don’t the first 2 cases still rely on individual capability and potential?
Even in advocacy, where someone speaks for others, the focus ultimately returns to the individual.
Following the prompt to reflect on how I talk to different people in my life, I noticed the importance of the positionalities and context of communication we operate within.
A voice is part of conversations
Voice is only a surface level within a wider web of relationships. The frames above are often left out in these conceptualisations.
Voice carries the broader social structures and roles we operate within.
Coming from Eastern Europe, I was taught socially and through religion to respect superiors who “know more” and not to challenge them. In those conversations, I’ve noticed my voice sounding more of a servent, even when I didn’t intend it.
Why don’t we try to improve society through individuals’ voices, instead of improving someone’s communication abilities?
What can you hear in others’ voices?
If you notice it, you can learn more about the society an individual comes from. You can understand their values.
I would like to encourage you to listen intently to the voice of the other and seek a deeper understanding of where they come from, literally and figuratively.
I encourage you to be a mirror to the other and add something back to them from a place of genuine care.
The diversity is right around us but we seem to miss it.