Find your voice and speak with confidence in online content
We all have a voice. We use it to speak all day. But are you using your voice online? Are you speaking up to share your opinions and thought leadership?
When we use our voices, we are able to express what we know. We are able to speak to our potential clients and create content that resonates.
Confidence in your voice just might be holding you back from creating the content and marketing that will move the needle in your business. Are you ready to learn more?
If that’s a big YES, let’s explore it now together!
How to use your voice online
When we talk about finding your voice online, we aren't just talking about your physical voice, it is about your metaphorical voice as well!
Your physical voice is showing up and speaking to your audience; whether this is through Instagram Lives, Podcasting or showing up on stories.
Your metaphorical voice is when you share thoughts and opinions on different issues. And yes, despite what people may say, your opinion should be able to be shared with confidence and passion.
People, and most importantly your audience, want to hear and see the person behind the brand they love. So you need to give them what they want!
If you aren't showing up and speaking with your audience, it really acts as a disservice to the people you want to serve - they need to see that authentic side of you. This is why finding your voice is so important!
What is the physical voice?
Your voice is as unique as your fingerprint, this is why you need to showcase it. It all comes down to self-acceptance and self-love (yes, it goes that deep).
When we utilise our voice, it’s important to make sure we wake up our vagus nerve (which is responsible for our relaxation, our fear management, lowering our heart rate and decreasing our blood pressure) and warm up our vocal cords.
To warm up, you can hum, make a telephone rigging noise, or elephant noise, and move your lips, tongue and jaw as well. All of these things combined will make sure you’re ready to speak and show up for your audience.
What is your metaphorical voice?
Your metaphorical voice comes from your head and heart, it is essentially your thoughts and opinions on different topics or issues.
To bring out your metaphorical voice you can ask things like: What am I thinking? How am I feeling? Where is my breath going?
Asking things like that can really help you think and plan how you want to voice your opinion. However, the main thing you need to remember when sharing these thoughts is CONFIDENCE.
If you want to share your opinion, make you are confident in doing so. If you need guidance in building up your confidence, we have some tips for you:
Think of where your energy is going, is your opinion warranted and are you comfortable sharing it
To get your thoughts together and make sure you understand what you want to say, write down a script or even some dot points at the least so you have direction on the point of view you want to bring across.
Breathe! Especially before going live or even showing up on stories, make sure you practice some breathwork and calm yourself so you are able to speak clearly.
Do the pre-work. If this is a serious opinion you are making, research what you are saying and make sure you know the background of the issue at hand. Research is super important so don’t skip it before you speak.
Tips for content creation and using your voice?
If you’re looking for that little bit more guidance, here are our top tips for using your voice online and being confident in your content creation:
Having a plan is one of the best things you can do! Plan what you want to say when you want to show up and your point of view as well
With LIVE content/Podcasts: Number the dot points to give your audience an idea of what they’re getting. For example “The 3 ways to XYZ”
Give the value. When you show up for your audience, give them something to take away: a lesson, guidance, tips or something like that
Summarise what you want to say. You don’t always need to show up with loads of stories or go live for 1-hour plus. Summarise your point of view or your story with the main parts.
Write a script so you know exactly what you’re going to say and you can avoid mistakes
For VIDEO: Don’t be afraid to edit in between when you can with reels, you can get rid of the breaths and dead space between different sections or tips.
Use a structure to share your story, your opinion or to show up for your audience (Hook, build up, value, CTA)
Choose your battles (if your opinion is big, know the things you can freestyle and be particular with) Think if it’s controversial and if it is worth sharing your own opinion.
Knowing what to use to talk about online
Think about what your opinions are and what you want to be known for, this is the main thing!
Ask yourself how you want your audience to look at you. Go back to your content buckets and start from there. If you don’t remember what content buckets are, let’s do a quick recap:
Content buckets are your main source of inspiration, they outline the roots of your content creation. The buckets act as the key elements of what the business is all about - from these we can pull themes, concepts, ideas, and inspiration whenever we need it.
Want to learn more about content buckets? Click the button below!
What if I receive hate for my opinions?
The thing is, there’s nothing you can really do to stop this. My biggest advice would be to not take what everyone says to heart, not everyone will agree with your opinions and that’s okay, but never let that stop you from sharing!
What you need to do is make sure you understand what you’re talking about and make opinions through your knowledge. Do the research and generate the information so that when you share your opinion and people give you feedback, you have that to back it up.
Don’t forget to work on the mindset around feedback, not everyone is going to agree with what you say so don’t take that personally.
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Final thoughts
To use your voice online, you need to practice and step out with confidence!
A lot of us started our business for a purpose, to help others with their pain points or with a problem. We now have these channels where we are able to do that and not just promote all the time, but share what you believe in and make an impact. You now have the tools to do that.
For more guidance on not just using your voice but sharing your opinion and stories, check out the Content Queen Storytelling Guide for FREE below.
So, what’s next? All you can do now is start! Take the first steps and commit. You can do it!