To be a reliable and prolific self advocate, how you communicate is very important. I thought of putting ChatGPT to test and asked it to tell me a story for interlinking advocacy and communication. Here is the canned story ………

The Art of Standing Up

Maya was a talented graphic designer who often felt overlooked at her job. Despite handling challenging projects, her boss, Mr. Jenkins, rarely acknowledged her contributions and frequently took credit for her ideas.

After a particularly important project, Maya realized she needed to speak up for herself. Nervous but determined, she scheduled a meeting with Mr. Jenkins. During the meeting, she calmly explained how being overlooked affected her motivation and requested more recognition for her work.

Mr. Jenkins, surprised by her honesty, agreed to involve her more in client presentations and give her the credit she deserved. Over time, Maya noticed a positive change—she was recognized more, and her confidence grew.

By advocating for herself, Maya not only improved her situation but also inspired her colleagues to speak up for themselves.

Here are some key aspects of self advocacy that I think are essential…..Let us see how chatgpt handled this.

Expressing needs and desires- Involves understanding and asserting your own needs, whether in personal relationships, at work, or in healthcare. In the above canned story, with Maya as the hero ( I guess Chatgpt decided to name the protagonist Maya, after seeing my name. LOL),  Maya could have appealed to the values of her boss, while explaining her situation, thereby making an emotional connection as well, while presenting her case.

Negotiation: Sometimes, self-advocacy involves negotiating to find a middle ground that satisfies your needs while considering others. When it comes to your health, you are the stakeholder and you have to ensure that you are able to negotiate your way through the administrative issues, tackle insurance and let your doctor know exactly what you want. There was no negotiation in Maya’s case. Jenkins turned into jelly the moment he heard her assertive voice. Oh! If things could be as easy as that.

Building Confidence: Advocating for yourself builds self-confidence and a sense of empowerment.The more you practice communicating your needs and standing up for yourself, the more confident and effective you become, with a deeper sense of self respect.  The story does end with Maya’s confidence growing 🙂