Have Your Voice Heard – Speak Up!
“Confidence is a skill that underpins everything that you do in work, education and life.
It can be the reason you achieved your goals or the reason you haven’t yet made it.
Honest Voice is about building a limitless YOU.
Cheesy I know, but this blog and the tools to follow will show you that confidence isn’t genetics it’s a mind-set, a skill that we work on and an important emotional muscle that we should all build.“
Even if you possess all the confidence in the world, if you don’t speak up and communicate effectively how will anyone know? How you communicate directly impacts how you feel and how others see you. More importantly, not speaking up or finding your confidence can have a direct impact on the opportunities that present themselves.
As a society I think we need to do a better job in building an inclusive environment and developing our own confidence and voice. It is a big undertaking but there are plenty of small steps you can take to unleashing the best version of YOU and speaking up about what matters.
Say it out loud and be heard
All too often we keep quiet, we supress what we might want to say and we let go of things that may bother us for many different reasons. No one deserves to suffer and everyone has a voice that should be heard. Whatever it is that you or a person you know might be feeling, speak up and call it out. You are helping yourself and so many others by demonstrating that you have a voice.
Fake it until you make it
I’m not a huge fan of the thought of pretending to be something we are not, but I do believe that we all have confident versions of ourselves. Whether that version is limited to the confines of the shower, or only comes to the surface when debating a passionate cause, I believe it is somewhere in us all.
One of my favourite phrases is “acting as if” - not pretending or becoming anything other than the REAL you. Using your true voice and owning your space, speak your mind - even if you aren’t 100% certain.
It is about having an awareness of how you want to personally see yourself and how you want others to perceive you.
It is easy to spot confidence… If you don’t “back yourself” how do you expect others to do so?
Build your Support Network
A strong support network can be vital when making some changes in your life, and its important that you build a network that will push you in the right direction, even when you’re not feeling like it.
The best networks consist of a truly diverse set of people; they could be friends, colleagues, mentors, family or anyone else that can give you that little extra support when needed and most importantly - celebrate the successes that are to come.
Start to think about who you have around you and whether they are the right people to support you in voicing your thoughts. If that group needs developing then be genuine with people and extend your network, mentors come in all shapes and sizes and they are often able to impart knowledge from their own experiences of speaking out.
Check out our guide to finding a mentor in the Careers Starter Pack, available to download from our website.
Practice
Always keep in the back of your mind – what would a confident and limitless version of me do? What would life be like if I let my voice be heard? What would I say? How would I say it?
Next time you have the opportunity to speak, DON’T MISS IT.
Enjoy the confidence that you will very quickly uncover and ensure you are resilient enough to see it through. Keep practicing, keep growing and watch what happens.
Take note of the differences you notice and the opportunities that now become more achievable because you believe in yourself and you are confident.
Don’t forget to celebrate the small successes!
Joel Westley