Start dating a controlling/ manipulative person. The kind that will lie to you about your friends to drive a wedge between you. If people ask for Free Advice, then that is exactly what they get and what they do with it is up to them. Your impact goal: Get the local government to pay more attention to this crisis. Bonus points if you’re able to affect policy.

How many of you carry some of this head trash that asking questions is annoying, or that it is somehow what less intelligent people do. We are striving to be noted as the expert all the time so we continue to avoid asking questions like we should. We can believe that we’re doing people a favor, “giving voice to the voiceless” as some like to say, but in reality we often hear what we want to hear, quote what we want to quote, and don’t do the hard work to understand what they’re saying — or what they’re trying to say — when we invite them to share. She is comfortable helping teams manage the tension and talk about the things they need to talk about, shifting mindsets and holding leaders accountable to shine like the North Star.To engage people in communities (especially those traditionally underserved by media), we need to be hiring from those communities Ethics begin with how we treat each other as individuals, so as part of our SRCCON workshop exploring this framework, we started by exploring answers to the questions: “What makes a good relationship? What are the actions people take in good relationships?” Participants jotted down those actions of their friends, colleagues, family members and more. Actions includes things like: always responding to text messages, listening without judgment, being there for them in a crisis.

It raises false hopes and makes people jaded . These sessions are often high energy and very kumbaya. They give people a sense that their voices really do matter, that things will change. When there is no follow-through, it is very annoying and disappointing. I’ve seen passionate community members leave inspired after a summit or community forum, only to become jaded later when they see little follow up. Worse than doing nothing is raising people’s hopes and then doing nothing. And we community organizers who bring people to these events bear the wrath of our communities when these things end up being pointless.Push them out of your life because you feel as if you’re being a toxic nuisance to everyone you meet. They zone out when you supply an answer, and they always end up doing their own thing. They sometimes will even ask the advice of multiple different people so they will eventually come across an answer that best suits what they want to hear. Third, be where people are; attend existing community processes . Communities by their nature usually already have gatherings where they discuss concerns and solutions. And most of the time, it is like pulling teeth to drag funders and leaders of large organizations to attend them. It’s frustrating when you don’t attend when people ask you to come to their things, and then you turn around and expect people to show up when you call. Take time to build those relationships.

If I "charge" for my services, like a Coach, then I am able to Set the Rules on how we will go about it. Such as, you will adhere to my suggestions, read what I say, and complete assignments and so on.It's up to us to carve our own path. But we still need guidance. That's why we ask questions. But it's ultimately our decision on what we do with the information given. A lot of times, especially early on, we make some very poor choices. It's all a part of the growing process. Carefully choose people in your life whom you trust and will give you unbiased and wisdom-filled answers. Listen. Absorb. Reflect.