Some people are good at talking about their ideas and opinions and sharing their thoughts and experiences publicly, whether through LinkedIn posts, thought leadership, or going on podcasts or panels.
They seem to ooze confidence, they are visible and have a recognisable voice. You know who they are and what they stand for.
For some, doing all that might have come easily, but for others, and I imagine it’s a lot of people, it’s taken time to develop their voice and feel more comfortable being ‘out there’, whether through content or speaking.
With more competition for people’s attention, having a voice that sets you apart is increasingly important and beneficial.
Which is why, for the March edition of the B2B Comms Breakdown LinkedIn live, Ayo Abbas and I discussed finding your voice with content.
Here are the edited highlights of that conversation.
Why is having a voice important?
Ayo: Having your voice means that you’re heard, it makes you stand out, and it empowers you.
It means you’re telling people what you want them to know about you, and you own that. It makes you more memorable, which is useful both internally in the place of work and externally as well, or if you work for yourself.
Also, it’s about hearing from underrepresented groups. If you look at our industry [built environment] you hear from the same people over and over again. And not just the same people but the same types of people.
I enjoy hearing from people with an alternative point of view, with diverse thoughts and different ideas, and that is something we are crying out for.
Stacey: Putting your voice out there is a good way to build your profile. People get to know you, they get to know what you stand for and what your values are.
And as we’ve both found, it leads to opportunities.
Developing your voice is also important in a world where business schools have taught people to talk about business in a certain way. There is a lot of samey content out there.
If you can develop your voice and bring in your personality – and I hate to use the word authentic – but talk in an authentic way, it really helps you stand out.
It will also become increasingly important as more people use AI to create content. It’s all very samey, but sounding like you is unique.
Ayo: Standing out as yourself can be terrifying. When I started my podcast and had to hear my voice through headphones, I thought I sounded different, but you do get over it.
Once you start doing it, it’s like building a muscle.
Stacey: I felt the same when I left journalism because I got used to being part of the magazine’s brand voice. I didn’t know what to sound like as a freelancer. It did take a while, it was nerve-racking, and it was a process.
I remember you saying to me once that my writing sounds like me. And for me, that is a big win.
What the barriers might be to having a voice
Stacey: I was at a round table event recently, and I overheard a couple of attendees say how nervous they felt and that they didn’t feel qualified to be there.
That lack of confidence in having a valid point to make, that your expertise and knowledge are worth putting out there, is a big barrier.
I have self-sabotage. There is always a little voice at the back of my head saying: Why would anybody care about what you’ve got to say? No one’s interested.
There’s also worry about what people might think and comparing yourself: ‘They are doing it much better than me, therefore I’m not going to do it’.
Ayo: We both work for ourselves, and we are in a privileged position because we only need to please ourselves – within reason.
When people work inside a business, there’s a corporate barrier. Will I get in trouble? What happens if I say the wrong thing or I offend somebody? How do you work within what’s okay and not trip yourself up or the company?
I looked back to when I started to find my voice and realised it was in 2018. I had just finished a job and was watching rolling news, which was covering the fall of Carillion.
I thought a lot of the commentary around it was rubbish. So, I wrote a blog post about why I thought the construction industry was broken using examples of how procurement works – stuff we all know.
When I shared it on LinkedIn, it went viral with hundreds of comments and shares.
It made me realise I was onto something, but it was easier to do because I wasn’t working in-house and had the freedom to say what I wanted to say and share my expertise.
But these are barriers that you can work through.
Stacey: I heard someone saying their approach was that if it’s not something you’d feel comfortable saying to your boss or colleague, then it might not make the best LinkedIn post or topic to talk about.
Some businesses will set out specific topics they don’t want staff discussing in open forums.
Come up with a list of topics within your area of expertise. These can be things you get asked about. What clients ask you can be good content fodder.
What’s the worst that can happen if you post about it? Probably that nobody engages with it. And that can be demoralising, but it shouldn’t be a barrier. Just pick yourself up, dust yourself off and try again.
How can you overcome the barriers and develop your voice?
Ayo: For in-house teams, set the guardrails for people to work within. Have a social media policy, a speaker policy, or some sort of guidance on what you can and can’t talk about.
That can give people reassurance.
Companies can also give people training so they understand how to use the different platforms and get the most out of them, as well as an overall strategy behind what you are doing as a firm.
It is also important to give people time. Quite often, people work on social media in the evening.
You make a lot more impact [on social media] as an individual, so why not allocate BD time, support individuals and make it a priority? Make it easier for people to find their voice so they want to get involved.
The marketing team could review your post if you’re sceptical at first, or you could have a buddy system.
Stacey: If the barrier is that you think people won’t be interested or you don’t know enough, think about all your experience, all the conversations you’ve had with clients and colleagues.
You have a unique set of experiences that give you a unique view, and you can bring that to the table.
Not everyone will have heard you talking about a particular topic, particularly on social media platforms.
A small step you can take to build confidence is to start by commenting on other people’s posts. It might be that you post a comment and have a bit more to say, which you can turn into a post.
For this LinkedIn Live, Ayo and I chose to do an audio event which means sadly there is no replay we can point to but hopefully this write up gives you a flavour of the conversation.
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