Don’t Shut Up — Speak Up

It is said that Daniel Day-Lewis, in his Oscar Award-winning performance of Lincoln, sustained the voice of Lincoln for the duration of the filming.

He chose to speak in another voice.

But while that worked for Day-Lewis as an actor it does not always work for us.

Sometimes we ‘lose’ our voice because we are afraid or intimidated in speaking up.

How then do we stay on track by saying what we have to say?

Signs of A Voice Not Being Heard

Not speaking with one’s own voice happens when people are

1. Always quoting others as their authority. They do this to support their position or bolster an argument. Now while it is imperative to cite one’s sources, give others credit for an idea, and not plagiarize, it is also important to creatively synthesize ideas and then express them in our own words.

2. Insecure about their own position or afraid of being challenged and contradicted. Often a sign of this insecurity is seen when people end a statement with a rising intonation pattern. It’s a way of expressing doubt about their statement. Or it’s an indication that they question the importance of their position.

3. Mute their voice by not raising their hand to speak in meetings because of gender bias by both men and women. You are in a meeting and a male coworker is mansplaining. What are your options for being heard?

The antidote to a bullying or sexist environment is to sustain a strong voice.

Signs of A True Voice

When one speaks with his/her own voice he/she is more

1. Creative.

There are basically two types of thinking, convergent and divergent.

Convergent thinking is where one takes existing data and conventional explanations to solve a problem. These may be helpful when giving directions for a standard procedure but are seldom helpful when exploring new territory.

Divergent thinking, otherwise known as creativity, is where one explores many possible options and connects data from disparate sources (diversity) into one clear and coherent argument.

2. Courageous

One of the biggest inhibitors of creativity is the fear of what others will think of our novel idea.

Here we allow the “inner critic” to censor everything we try that is unconventional.

It takes courage to throw caution to the winds and try new things. That could be about us living in a new place, traveling to unconventional destinations, or being willing to try a new idea in one’s work.

3. Authentic

Speaking with one’s own voice comes from a place of authenticity and from the heart.

It is a place where we operate largely out of the unconscious mind.

This ‘hidden’ mind is less constricted than conditioned forms of thinking that either regret the past or fear the future. It is thinking that occurs in the here and now.

In the end, a person who speaks his or her own truth is authentic.

Trust your own voice — Speak up — Don’t give a damn what others think