5.4 We communicate boldly and build our tribe

The fourth reason why dyslexics make powerful changemakers is we communicate boldly and build our tribe. The Dyslexic Thinking skills of Communicating and Connecting.

Communicating and connecting are the two most valuable skills for any changemaker, especially now in the new world of soft power that we live in. These skills turbocharge changemakers, creating a passionate tribe that stand alongside you to drive change or power you on. Muhammad Ali, one of the greatest changemakers of all time, knew exactly how to use his Dyslexic Thinking skills of connecting and communicating to build powerful relationships with people and rally them around his cause. Let's hear from Lonnie now on how he used people power to change the outcome of a situation.

He did travel and they would choose spots to bring him to people that would not ordinarily have the opportunity to see him fight. And they were in some of the poor areas of the world, in places in Indonesia, when he did the Thrilla in Manila, in Zaire. Of course he did a lot of fights in Europe, in Germany, London, but he always loved going into the surrounding cities, areas of where he was camped for a fight, like in Africa when he was in Zaire. In fact, that fight got delayed I think a month or six weeks because George got cut during training one day, during sparring practice. And so they had to delay the fight.

So that gave him more time but Muhammad, see that's what I'm saying, to him that was not an obstacle. But most athletes go, 'Oh my God, I sort of primed myself to be at my peak at this point, and now I'm gonna lose that edge' and whatever. 'I'm not going to be able to compete at my top level of performance'. He never thought like that. He thought, 'Oh, okay, this gives me more time to go out and meet the people'. So he went out and it really created a little fan base. I shouldn't say little, it was huge. He sort of melded with the people. He went out and he visited and he’d go and become one with them.

So by the time that fight came that night that whole country was yelling for him. He had won them over. I mean, it was the sheer energy of the people who surrounded that ring, that was as much a force as his boxing skills and his ability to, as you say, adapt as dyslexics can do and overcome obstacles, because George Foreman had flattened everybody who was in front of him before Muhammad. But Muhammad realised that if he went a certain distance, George had never, nobody had lasted in the ring that long with George.

But that energy that came from those people that he had taken the time to get to know, to become one with, and they felt like Muhammad belonged to them too. He was fighting for them. That gave him more, energised him more, I think, and gave him more ability to overcome an opponent, because he felt like he was not just fighting for himself. It wasn't just for this title. He was fighting for everybody around him.

Muhammad Ali may have been the greatest Heavyweight Boxer of all time inside the ring but he was also a heavyweight changemaker outside the ring, fighting discrimination and campaigning for black rights as well as becoming an ambassador for peace and effecting change right around the world. And in those times he wasn't just fighting for himself, he was fighting for everybody around him too and for a fairer society where everyone could be respected and valued for who they were.

Environmental activist, Erin Brockovich, is another great example of a brilliant dyslexic communicator and connector. Against the odds, she persuaded the people of Hinkley that if they got behind her they could beat the corporate giant that was trying to silence them, and went on to win a landmark lawsuit.

So what happened for me with these people, and what I connected to, is they’re always being silenced. Nobody believed them. I did. And what we did for each other, I believed in them and they believed in me, was unbelievable. And what I learned in Hinkley was my tools and my trade and what I was operating from. I call it my four Ls. Logic, because everybody wants to think logically, and I've always been, 'What the hell is logic anyway?' It's common sense. It was my instinct. I learned that if I listened to my gut and I used those instincts, I would naturally, logically work my way through an issue.

And I learned that one plus one is not two. One plus one is a thousand or more. When I got one and I got one more and I got one more, we began to leverage ourselves in numbers. So my leverage became the people, we helped each other.

Communicating issues in a simple way that everyone can understand and rallying people around an issue is a Dyslexic Thinking skill used by Princess Beatrice too.

I think those skill sets for me have been the best ones, understanding what a problem is and figuring out how to communicate around it.

Simplify things. That's what we do.

I tend to use my skill set, which is about trying to act as a catalyst, trying to have a different conversation in trying to bring people together. And then hopefully if you can inspire ideas then they sort of go off and hopefully become something that you can be really proud of. Well, I firmly believe in collaboration. I think that to redesign the way that, and reimagine the way that education needs to deliver, it's going to take a group effort. And I look to the private sector as well as the public–private partnerships to really see that coming together.

And I think if we do that really well, especially some of the successes that we've seen with how governments can really lean in, to training teachers the best way, then I think that we can really succeed in that way. But I think it all, again, comes down to what dyslexics do best, communicate and collaborate.

These are great examples of brilliant dyslexics putting their communication and connecting skills to work in the real world. But how do these Dyslexic Thinking skills empower dyslexic changemakers in the age of soft power that has been created by social media? 100% social media connects the world, giving us power to build communities or tribes instantly. And that power in numbers, whether it's a tribe in your local community or global group with a global mission, they make change happen. You just need to think of #MeToo to see what can happen and fast.

But in today's oversaturated media world with messages constantly coming at us on every channel and every device, being able to create communications that cut through the noise and truly resonate with your community or tribe is absolutely vital. You need a clear, compelling narrative that creates an emotional response, one that people want to share. Bold and empowering.

One great example of Dyslexic Thinking at play here is Made By Dyslexia. The charity is run by dyslexic thinkers. Our mission is to help the world to understand the value of Dyslexic Thinking and to empower it in every home, every school, every workplace. We started out with a bold, risqué launch film, 'The Dyslexic Sperm Bank', that was unlike anything any charity had created before.

Ladies and gentlemen, the world’s first dyslexic sperm bank, open today.

Hello. Good morning.

I’m just a bit intrigued actually.

It creatively conveyed the message that Dyslexic Thinking is a strength by featuring images of famous and brilliant dyslexics.

Given the choice, would you like your child to have dyslexia?

No.

I wouldn’t kill it.

It was a powerful piece of storytelling that was watched by 70 million people in just three days and put the charity firmly on the map. In just seven years we've built our tribe to be the biggest global community of dyslexics and their allies who stand alongside us to create change and amplify everything we do. Our creative communications, connecting with strategic partners to communicate and support our mission, has enabled us to build and support an amazing social movement, sharing our message and driving change right across the globe.

Compelling narrative that creates an emotional response, one that people want to share means everyone can be a changemaker and feel empowered to act. It's important to remember that changemakers come in all sizes. Let’s hear from Jean Oelwang again.

Sometimes we think purpose has to be this massively big thing, and in reality, if we can do something in our local community, in our local school, everything matters right now. We all need to do absolutely everything we can in the world that desperately needs it.

Jean is 100% right, it's in all our power to create the change we want to see in the world. Starting, however small, is creating change and sometimes grows into something big. Like this wonderful story.

Our young ambassador, Angus Copelin-Walters and his mum Jo have followed Made By Dyslexia since we launched in 2017 and were inspired to do something to help their local community in Australia learn about Dyslexic Thinking. So they have taken our online training into their local schools in Yarrabah which serves the largest Aboriginal community in Australia. The teachers are taking the training and Angus's mum is also working with their local businesses and Chamber of Commerce to promote our workplace training too.

Then they connected with local Aboriginal artist Nathan, who is also dyslexic. Nathan has made a traditional Aboriginal message stick about empowering Dyslexic Thinking. This has been passed across Australia and then on to the Native American community in the USA to begin our work there. By connecting to a cause that matters to them and communicating and collaborating in a bold and memorable way, Angus and his mum have made real change in their community, country and now the rest of the world. What an incredible example of Dyslexic Thinking in action.

Here are three key takeaways from this section. One, we use our communication and connecting skills to help us build compelling narratives with emotional impact that people want to share. Two, we understand the need to make bold, disruptive communications to get noticed and cut through the noise. And three, we use our connecting and communication skills to empower our tribes, inspiring and encouraging everyone to jump in and be the change they want to see.