Bossed Up How Do We Unlearn Silence and Voice Our Worth?
Jan 21, 2025
Elaine Lynn Hering, a facilitator and author of 'Unlearning Silence', dives deep into the significance of finding and using our voices. She explores how silence is often a learned behavior, rooted in family and cultural norms that reward quietness. Elaine discusses the impacts of systemic messages on women's confidence and the importance of strategic silence versus coercive silence. Offering practical advice on building support networks and designing inclusive leadership practices, she emphasizes that everyone deserves to be heard and that recognizing our worth is a vital step.
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Silence Undermines Conversation Training
- Elaine Lynn Hering argues silence explains why people don't use negotiation and feedback tools despite training.
- Silence is a learned habit that must be interrogated before urging people to "just speak up."
Immigrant Family Roots Of Silence
- Elaine Lynn Hering shares her immigrant family background where questioning elders was seen as disrespectful.
- That upbringing rewarded quiet compliance and made workplace team-player behavior feel safe but hollow.
Voice Is Tied To Self‑Worth
- Hering connects belief in voice to self-worth and structural messages that devalue women's experiences.
- Workplace and social norms signal that women's realities matter less, shaping silence.
