“For many, the imagined cost of speaking up is almost always higher than the actual cost. And we live with the cost in our imagination daily, dying a little bit over time as we keep our insights to ourselves. Speaking up is a skill, and we can only improve it with practice.” – Seth Godin, Aug. 24, 2023
Ain’t that the truth!
Clients express many reasons why they don’t speak up at work. Among the most common are:
- They’re afraid they’ll sound stupid (public scrutiny is the worst!)
- They feel others are more qualified and that their opinions don’t matter as much
- They don’t feel equipped to express themselves articulately
- They are afraid to express a contrary opinion
- Consciously or unconsciously, it’s a way to hide in plain sight.
- They’re new in role or company and still reading the tea leaves about how to “show up”
As with any behavior, not speaking up is learned. It takes practice to become skilled.
You know what the great thing about practice is? By the very nature of its definition, you can’t fail. You’re repeating something with the sole purpose of building proficiency.
It’s like going to the gym. You’re not going to build your biceps, or your “speak up” muscle from one set of reps or stepping out of your comfort zone just once. It requires repetition.
Here are three thoughts that can support you in mustering the courage to let your voice be heard.
If nothing changes, nothing changes. Unless you practice a new behavior, you’ll perpetually be sitting on the sidelines waiting on yourself to get in the game.
The anticipation of taking a new action is usually more frightening than taking the actual action. (Reminds me of an old song… Anticipa-a-a-a-tion…) 🙂
You cannot think your way into acting differently. If you sit around waiting until you feel “ready” to try something new, you’ll be waiting a long time. You have to act your way into different thinking.
Take the action – your brain will follow.
