When Words Carry so much Weight: Three Tips for Finding your Voice

I’m sure I’m not the only person who has felt speechless, among other things, in the past few weeks. We are witnessing such an unbelievable moment in our social history where the winds of change have reached a breakneck speed.

The fallout has been fast and unflinching: 

• Brands that once reliably towed moderate ideological lines are taking an unapologetic stand on huge platforms.
• Tone deaf CEOs have been pushed out in less time than it takes to run a Zoom call
• And friends and family are increasingly calling each other out for racially charged comments and sentiments

As a brand strategist who lives for the power of words, I’m finding it impossible to find the right words for this particular moment. 

Because words today carry so much weight. Not only do we need to find the right ones in how we communicate, but we also need to make way to lift up the voices of those who need to be heard at this moment. 

So, at a time of allyship and emotions, when silence can be interpreted as compliance, I’ve found myself wondering: is it better to speak up or sit back and listen and create space for other voices – and how do we find that balance? 

This is a time for conversation.

One answer, which came when I posed this exact question to a trusted friend last week, is to remember this isn’t a moment for a perfectly polished monologue. This is a time for conversation. “So start talking,” she said. 

And that’s when I remembered that some of the same tips that I use to help others find their voice in my work can also apply here, to this moment in time. 

So, here are three tips for finding your voice at a time when words carry so much weight:

1. Start talking. 

As my wise friend reminded me, this is a conversation. It’s a dialogue. And if I’ve learned one thing in my work on personal branding it is exactly this: sometimes it takes opening our mouths and engaging in a conversation to find our way to our own voice. You have to listen, of course. And be thoughtful in forming your thoughts. 

But we can’t be paralyzed by the things we can’t quite explain – this is a moment to respectfully engage and encourage one another to start talking, to get and give feedback, and to unearth those stumbling blocks that stand in our way. The more we talk, together, the more we will find our voices.

2. Change your mindset.

In my work, I hear from clients that raising their voice in a professional space feels like gross self-promotion. But as this great HBR piece from Dorie Clark points out, when we stay quiet in our work lives, we give up our own narrative.

In the absence of you voicing your perspectives and philosophies, people in your network will fill the silence with one of two things: their own (possibly outdated or inaccurate) perceptions of what you stand for and believe; or – worse – nothing. 

Speaking up and finding your voice is not a selfish act. It’s about seizing your narrative and finding genuine, authentic, impactful ways to explore and articulate what you believe. As business and personal become ever-further entwined, this is the time to change that outdated perspective and embrace the power of your voice.

3. More bridging, less bonding.

I have long been intrigued by the idea of identity and how our professional affiliations become entangled with our sense of who we are. Turns out, this is rooted in a phenomenon that sociologists have long studied called bonding and bridging capital.

Take a look at your network. Are you putting most of your energy into relationships with those in your current professional orbit – at your company, in your industry? That’s bonding. 

Which is fine. But the research has shown that the more we seek out and bridge to others outside of our immediate world, the stronger and richer our networks become. Because – of course – people who exist a bit further out of our day-to-day reality have the power of different perspectives that can open our minds and challenge us out of our status quo.

If ever there was a time to take stock and push yourself to bridge, this has to be it.

One of the greatest myths of personal branding has to be that every idea or concept you put out into the world has to be completely unique and totally original. But that’s not quite right. 

If you use your authentic voice and your experience then your thinking can constantly evolve, informed and challenged by putting yourself out there and participating in the conversation. And that’s what we must seek to do now.