An interesting video has gone viral in the past week, but it’s different than your typical viral video (no cute kitties or babies, crazy stunts or someone acting out). This video features Jennifer Livingston, a news anchor from WKBT in La Crosse, WI, responding to a condescending letter from a viewer who took it upon himself to educate Jennifer on why she’s not providing “a suitable example for this community’s young people, girls in particular,” by being overweight and appearing on television.
Take a few minutes to watch the video, if you haven’t already.
I don’t want to talk about whether the viewer had a right to send that letter or if he was completely out of line. I want to talk about two things:
- Turning a negative and hurtful situation into a positive one by using it as an opportunity to impart knowledge on others.
- What it takes to effectively communicate an important message.
First point – Turning a negative situation into a positive one. Jennifer didn’t have to do what she did. She didn’t have to share this painful event with the world. She could have kept it between her and her coworkers, completely ignored the viewer and continued on with her life. She could have told her husband (who also works at the news station) to ignore his anger about the situation and not post it on his Facebook page.
Instead, Jennifer exposed herself, and this viewer, to the La Crosse community (which quickly expanded beyond Wisconsin thanks to the power of the Internet) by going on-air to explain what happened and teach some important lessons. These lessons included:
- Personal attacks of this nature are not OK, and attention should be called to them.
- Outward appearance has no indication of what a person is made of on the inside, and no one has the right to make any assumptions about someone based on his/her appearance.
- Behavior like this is learned, and we need to do a better job of teaching others (especially children) why hurtful critiquing and passing judgment on others is not acceptable.
- We are better than those who try to bring us down.
- Others cannot define our own self worth.
Would you be strong enough to confront someone who put you down? Let’s take that a step further. Would you be strong enough to share a personal story that was painful and demoralizing and use it as an opportunity to lift others’ spirits? It takes some serious cajones to do what Jennifer did, and every time I watch that video, I want to jump through the screen and give her a huge hug. Her actions are commendable, and her words are inspiring.
You don’t have to use a very visible and public forum like a video or YouTube to do something similar. But think of how many people you could possibly help by extracting a positive lesson from a negative situation and using it to educate others. Doesn’t matter how you do it, but finding ways to help others gain from your loss, pain, mistakes, embarrassment, etc. is powerful.
Moving on to the second point – Effectively communicating a message. I probably took notice of how Jennifer delivered her message more than the average person would because of my work in PR, but there is a lot to be learned from her delivery.
Whether it’s a one-on-one conversation or a speech to hundreds of people, the next time you need to make sure an important message comes across clearly and effectively to a person or audience, take these cues from Jennifer:
- Speak with confidence and conviction.
- Don’t shout, but make sure your voice is clear and strong.
- Use controlled hand motions, and let your hands help you highlight important components of your conversation or speech.
- Use appropriate facial expressions. Display the proper emotions at the right time during your conversation or speech.
- Be genuine.
There you have it – my two takeaways from the Jennifer Livingston viral video.
Your turn. What did you take away from this video and Jennifer’s experience?