Often in conversation or meetings, someone will use a sports analogy to get his point across. When this happens, what’s your reaction? Do you like or dislike sports analogies? If you dislike them, how come? Ask yourself these questions;
- What do you dislike about sports analogies?
- Do they make you feel uncomfortable? What do you think causes the discomfort? Is that your reaction to all analogies or just certain categories of analogies?
- Do you simply not understand what point the person is making due to lack of knowledge about the subject matter? Would you consider learning more about the subject matter?
- Do you tune out and then don’t feel part of the conversation?
- Do you feel as a female that you are left out, especially if the analogy seems designed to relate to men more than woman?
- Does it seem to be making others uncomfortable also? What do the people who feel as you do have in common with you?
So now that you have an idea what is the cause of your dislike or discomfort, you can consider what to do about it.
- Do you feel comfortable telling the person making the analogy your feelings or concerns? If not, why?
- Would it be more effective to tell him in the moment, or afterwards when you’ve had a chance to consider how best to explain your concerns or can do so in private?
- Do others share your point of view? If so, should you include them in the discussion?
- Will it make a productive difference to discuss it? What are you hoping to accomplish?
- As you think through what you didn’t like about the analogy, is there something you should change in your own behavior or reaction?
You should voice your concerns to people when they say or do something that makes you feel uncomfortable, but before you do, it may be productive to think through the situation and what you hope to achieve. If you are concerned that raising the issue could negatively impact you in some way, seek someone’s advice for how best to proceed, either a mentor, manager or HR professional. Before discussing, you should always assure you understand the reason or source of your reaction so you can address the real underlying issue. Also, when you do discuss with the person who shared the offending analogy, assure you communicate in a productive, non-confrontational manner as it will increase the likelihood that you have a productive outcome.