Informed Opinions

This is why I write about firsts. This picture says so much. Firsts create many... Firsts shift the story.  Firsts give us permission.  Firsts help us see ourselves. That's the power of the first. They change what comes next. Photo credit: Todd Heisler, New York Times #kamala #firsts #firstfewonly

📺 Just watched this CBC report and was struck by the lack of female perspectives. 👀 Women's views are essential in finance, especially when there's just a 3️⃣ % gap between men and women holding mortgages in Canada. 📈 Economic discussions must reflect all Canadians, and, as our national broadcaster, CBC has a responsibility to include women's voices. Excluding women's perspective, even unintentionally, perpetuates the stereotype that women aren't financially knowledgeable and don't have valuable contributions to make other than ones focused on domestic life. 🏡 🤱 In the interest of involving more women in the conversation, I took 3 short minutes to peruse the "Find Experts" search function that Informed Opinions offers for 🆓 to allow reporters and producers to find and include female voices. In that time I found the following experts I'm highlighting here: 📣 Laura Fortey - Co-founder of a Real Estate investing platform 📣 @Virginia T. from University of Saskatchewan who is an expert in banking and insolvency 📣 Despina Zanganas RGD who is a realtor and an expert in gender issues, founding Lean In Canada 📣 Davelle Morrison who is in the top 4% of mortgage brokers in Toronto Also highlighting Beata Caranci, Chief Economist at TD since there were several clips from similar male counterparts. Finally, highlighting Kristine Beese who is an expert on women-focused investing. Here at Women in Communications & Technology we see this narrative play out in the workplace in similar fashions, and honestly it just takes a little effort to involve women in these important discussions. Let's work together to include and amplify the voices of knowledgable women in our workplaces and in the media. https://lnkd.in/g_DbvNjD --------- 👋 I'm Rebecca the CEO of Women in Communications & Technology 📣 Follow me for insights into workplace equity and how tech can accelerate social impact 🙌 🔁 Share this post if you found it useful! 📩 DM me if you want to know more #WomenInFinance #GenderEquality #EconomicInclusion Data about ratio of women vs. men mortgage holders from the FCAC Report: The financial well-being of Canadian homeowners with mortgages, June 2023, link in comments.

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Reminder: Join us tomorrow at noon for a Lunch & Learn with Élections Canada | Elections Canada to learn about accessibility and childcare funding initiatives for federal candidates. #fundraising #politicalfinancing #RepresentationMatters

Sometimes you learn more from #failure than #success. (And it’s nice when other people are illustrating the fail!) In the interests of balancing out the space I devoted to Kamala Harris’ #communications style and substance last week, I started this post to offer a few “what not to do” #tips inspired by the Republican presidential nominee. ( Worth noting: Sarah Neville and I co-authored a piece back in 2016 in which we unpacked Trump's communication effectiveness. It’s linked in the comments below.) But I’m supplementing those tips with some additional “try this” bits inspired by Kamala Harris’ VP pick, Tim Walz. TIP 1. Ambition is valuable, but being a team player may open more doors. Apparently in the run-up to Harris’ decision, Walz explicitly encouraged his new boss NOT to select him if the data didn’t show that he could help her win. By privileging the higher purpose over his own ambitions, he demonstrated the ultimate allyship.  TIP 2. If you want to discredit an opponent, it’s helpful if your attack has some substance. Trump specializes in what’s known as “ad hominen” invective, where he attacks the person (their race, gender, disability, body, spouse, clothing…) rather than their position or policy. Both cheap and intellectually dishonest, such attacks may ignite hard partisans who are already drinking your Kool-aid, but they typically don’t sway the undecided, and are more likely to steel the resolve of your target’s existing supporters. TIP 3. If you want your denigration of another candidate to stick, make your accusation credible. The resume of Harris’ new running mate gives evidence of a rich list of service: military veteran, geography teacher and football coach, Governor of Minnesota. The man is regularly described as affable, plain spoken and relatable. CNN called him “cuddly.” One of his most significant achievements has been to pass legislation ensuring that kids in need would be fed breakfast and lunch at school. This is the kind of program that has been proven to support disadvantaged children and allow them to concentrate better in the classroom. But when the governor was revealed as Kamala Harris’ running mate, Trump roared, “He’ll unleash HELL ON EARTH” (all caps in the original. Obviously.) In defending his record, Walz underlined how ridiculous Trump’s hyperbole was by saying: “What a monster! Kids are eating and having full bellies so they can go learn and women are making their own healthcare decisions.” TIP 4. Your ability to joke about yourself to deflect others’ insults is a communications super-power. When people criticize Walz for appearing older than his 60 years, he says it’s because he supervised the school lunchroom for 20 years. “You do not leave that job with a full head of hair. Trust me.” It reflects well on an adult man when he dresses professionally but doesn’t take his appearance so seriously that he can’t joke about himself. Great photo by Michelle Griffith, Minnesota Reformer

I was initially irked and disappointed, and then, gradually, mad… And I wondered, do I need to add “Copyright © 2024 Shari Graydon All Rights Reserved” to the bottom of my posts? Because there were my carefully crafted words, unattributed, on someone else’s LinkedIn post, which mimicked the content I had admired and reshared, without crediting either me or the original poster. Worse, the offender’s profile description indicated that she creates "social justice and inclusion for #women." I got up from my desk and circled my condo. It didn't help. So I privately messaged her to suggest that it wasn’t cool to plagiarize other women’s ideas and content in the service of such goals. She first denied, then -- confronted with specifics -- apologized. And finally corrected her post to credit me. But a day later, LinkedIn’s algorithms presented me with a subsequent post in which she had much more egregiously taken another advocate’s material and shared it as her own. I DM’d her again, copying and pasting the content that juxtaposed Gina Hatzis’ engaging ideas against the almost identical language the offender had used five days later – again, no credit given. This time her defence was defiant, daring me to file a complaint. And she tried to explain the “coincidence” between her words and Gina’s as a product of them probably being “soul sisters”.  🙄 Then she blocked us both. I’m happy to report that she has since deleted the post in which she brazenly claimed authorship of Gina’s words. But I suspect two instances in three days means that this practice is her default modus operandi, and many, if not all of her posts, have been cribbed from other creators. Maybe this is common on this platform. But it’s so not not OK! I created Informed Opinions explicitly to amplify the voices of women to ensure our realities and the insights they inform wield as much influence as men’s. And in the 15 years since, it’s been deeply gratifying to see thousands of the women we’ve trained, supported and promoted publish thought leadership, be interviewed in mainstream and alternative media, and embrace new career opportunities as a result of their profiles. The rich diversity of their shared perspectives significantly broadens and deepens our public conversations. Everyone benefits. That’s why the erasure I witnessed last week by a selfishly ambitious “top voice” on this platform so angered me. If we advocates can't celebrate and credit one another, we will never "elevate" women's voices and achieve the broad equality we're seeking for all of us. I’ll let you know if the formal complaint I filed results in any action. #intellectualproperty #plagiarism

Ever wish you had a mentor? We’ve put together a playlist with podcast episodes featuring the voices and stories of our phenomenal speakers. Each episode is a journey into the minds of trailblazing women who are shaping industries, breaking barriers, and redefining success on their own terms. As you explore this playlist, you’ll encounter powerful insights, compelling narratives and transformative ideas. Whether you’re seeking motivation for your personal growth or inspiration for your professional journey, these episodes offer something for everyone. Over the next few weeks, we’ll be updating it with some of the episodes we really love... 🎙️So stay tuned! 🎧Give it a listen and let us know what you think! https://lnkd.in/eNn_84FQ Featuring: Shari Graydon, Kristin Carver Smith, Rohene Bouajram, Helene Blanchette, Rachelle Houde Simard Tamara Close, CFA Caroline Codsi, IAS.A., ICD.D. Leslie Quinton Sarah Bettman, CPCC, MBA Bianca B. King Sarah Lang (MA, PCC, CPCC) If you’d like to listen to these speakers in person in Montreal, join us at the Visible Women Conference in October. DM us to learn more about our exclusive ticket discounts. #vwc2024speakers #vwc2024

Are you "good on a Friday"? Because apparently, that’s a winning quality. Earlier this week, The Globe and Mail Mail journalist, Grant Robertson wrote a great piece about 17-year-old Canadian swimming phenomenon, Summer McIntosh. Her coach, Brent Arckey, claims he can tell the difference between a very good swimmer and a prospective #champion. It all turns on whether they’re still pushing themselves to train rigorously at the end of the week, when everyone else is thinking about heading to the bar or the beach. I think the coach’s analysis is transferable to other professions and endeavours. In fact, Thomas Edison coined a version of the underlying principle decades ago when he wrote: “Genius is one percent inspiration and 99 percent perspiration.” It’s easier and more comforting to attribute others’ success to genetics or luck – and, depending on the field – both can play a role. But discipline matters – whether you’re an Olympian, or just trying to become better at something in your personal or professional life. Showing up and applying yourself are key. But so is seeking the feedback and advice of others who are themselves not only expert in the skill, but capable of analyzing and teaching the component parts of #excellence. There’s no #Olympics for writing engaging commentary or speaking in a way that motivates others, but I can attest that the same principles apply. I've been speaking with a number of our most effective workshop "grads' about their impressive media engagement and impact recently. It's clear that they're all "good on a Friday." And we can all resolve to embrace whatever our field's equivalent is – applying ourselves with as much concentration and finesse at the end of a long week in pursuit of mastery as we did at the beginning. In the meantime, Summer McIntosh has already captured two gold medals and a silver at this year’s competition, and all these fruits of her discipline are available online, if you’re looking for some inspiration. Photo captured by Francois-Xavier MARIT/Getty Images

I am happily blown away by the reception of my TEDx talk worldwide. Shoutout to Elaine Powell Thought Disruptor™️ Keynote and TEDx Speaker for bringing this to our attention!