The Power to Speak Up!

Have you ever been in a situation where someone asked for your opinion and you lost your voice? Or you were itching to say something in a meeting because you knew you had something really important to say but it just wouldn’t come out?

Today’s blog post is all about the power of finding your voice and speaking up. This is something that I struggled with for a long time and it wasn’t until I went to university and got involved with student politics that I really found my voice and truth be told, it’s hard to shut me up these days!! ;)

To be a true and authentic leader, you have to find your voice and speak your truth – not what others think is important. So how can you do that? What I have found is it’s not something that you can just turn on and off and I believe it is something that you have to keep practicing – whether it’s speaking up in a restaurant that your food is cold or in an important meeting when you know the information you have could really influence the discussion.

So here are my top 3 tips on how to find your voice in any situation and how to deliver the message effectively:

Use your belly – draw strength from your core and really breathe into it. When you take shallow breaths and try and talk at the same time, you can come across as rushed and breathy which does not indicate strength. So take a deep breath and really draw it in from your belly – your belly is your friend (doesn’t matter if it jiggles!)

When you are about to speak, set the intention to be clear. Start the sentence with a strong statement. Instead of saying “if I could just add….” replace it with “I believe…”. You want to sound decisive and with
conviction, not apologizing for daring to have an opinion.

Thirdly (and this is very important), know your knees will be shaking but it’s OK! If it helps, keep your hands on your knees to stabilize the shaking and you will be fine. It’s part of the process and when you are nervous, it means you are invested which is always good!

Speaking up is a muscle that has to be constantly exercised so you just have to start. After all, if you want to lead others in a meaningful and purposeful way, we need to hear you. Until we hear your beautiful authentic voice, you won’t know the impact you could have on others and that’s where your leadership resides so please start!

Blessings,

Yasmin x