No Pink Highlighter
In graduate school, I don't remember too many direct lessons on personal branding or the branding of our field. In fact, most SLPs I ask also report a lack of instruction on the non-clinical aspects of being an SLP. Thankfully (though she didn't phrase it in terms of branding) one professor made a poignant plea to us about how we represent ourselves and our field.
Speech-language pathology is a notoriously female-dominated profession and is filled with well-meaning people-pleasers who too often will accept substandard conditions rather than ruffle anyone else's feathers. What's more, many SLPs let girly-girl aesthetics and cutesy crafts for kids creep into their dealing with colleagues too. On top of this, other professions don't always treat us with the respect that we deserve, and juvenile or overtly-feminine practices may reinforce this lack of respect. Though that's not fair, that's real. So, I'm thankful that Dr. Adrienne Perlman quieted the room one day in her Dysphagia course at the University of Illinois and spoke to us carefully and deliberately as she cautioned us in a speech I like to call "No Pink Highlighter." Dr. Perlman emphasized that it was important for us to be confident in our skills and to be able to back up our clinical judgements, even in the potentially intimidating situations of being questioned and confronted by medical doctors. She advocated presenting doctors with pre-highlighted peer-reviewed journal articles to support us and counter any doubts, with one important caveat - don't highlight in pink! In spite of showing that we are knowledgeable and using evidence-based practice by citing relevant research, simply using the color pink can serve to undermine our efforts. Though that's not what many of us want to hear, believe, admit, or aspire to, it is the present reality. Just ask any TV or movie producer about how small color changes or tweaks to the appearance of a picture can give the viewer a completely different, and often subconscious impression, of a situation. It's basic human psychology, sociology, and media studies. While we all strive to be better as a society, we can't change deep-seated notions that dwell in co-workers' minds overnight, and so must still do what we can within the current system.
Though I spent most of my career in the sometimes overly colorful and cutesy school system, rarely ever communicating with MDs, this lesson always resonated with me as a message not only against pink highlighter in the specific sense but as a reminder to be aware of our personal and professional brands at all times. Even the smallest visual cue can change or reinforce the way parents, patients, children, and colleagues look at us as individuals and at speech-language pathology as a field. We each represent not only ourselves, but each other as clinicians in all settings whether on or off of the clock. A brand is not who you tell others you are, it's who people believe that you are, so I choose to give colleagues as few reasons to fall back on the stereotypes of SLPs as possible. Nearly a decade after that class, if you walk into my office in a school, a clinic, or my private practice, you will find no pink highlighters.
Expand Your S.C.O.P.E.™ is a clinician mentoring and shadowing service for certified healthcare providers looking to expand their own scopes of practice. JOIN NOW to get access to exclusive content and the opportunity to be matched with providers in your field for professional shadowing and mentoring experiences
