You and I both know it – the corporate world is no place for an extremely shy person. It takes guts and bravery to succeed in a business world. This is why it’s important very early on to establish your voice. You know, that style or essence in all of your communication that makes you not only memorable, but persuasive as well. Just like no two people are the same, not every voice is going to work with every person. You’ve got to find the voice that you can own. Most of the time, you had it in you the whole time, you just had to shout it from the rooftops.
Like I said, there is no preset voice that fits neatly on each person, but here are a couple of voices that exist out there. Do any of these seem to suit you more than others?
Person of Few Words
When you speak, the world listens. This is because you choose your words carefully. You don’t see the point in too much idle chit chat and believe that you shouldn’t say something if it’s not worth saying. When you reserve your words for only the most important conversations, your opinions and thoughts become all the more valuable. However, be careful, some people may take your reservation as being shy, which is not a quality people look for when it comes to climbing the corporate ladder.
Kill ‘em with Kindness
The saying goes “You catch more flies with honey” and that’s typically the case in any scenario. Being a kind and gracious coworker and thoughtful friend will earn you loads of respect and the confidence of your superiors. But be careful, many c-level employers are looking for employees with that “killer instinct” and you don’t want your kindness to come off making you look like a pushover.
The Comedian
Laughter is the best medicine and it can also be a great way to disarm coworkers and the competition. When you’re a bit of a ham, people naturally gravitate to you because they know that you’ll be quick with a joke and they’ll always have a good time around you. However, sometimes a great sense of humor can work against you if you need your superiors to take you seriously. Choose when and where you make ‘em laugh very carefully.
No Nonsense
For you, there is no such thing as business casual. All business is serious business and should be treated as such. You’re the go to person when it comes to running meetings or organizing projects. While all of these skills are very desirable in upper level management because they show dedication and focus, they can make you appear to be somewhat cold and make you completely unreliable to the rest of the staff. Keep it focused, but don’t lose touch with your sensitive side.
How about you, my friends? Can you think of any other voices that we could add to this list? I’m sure there are thousands of others just waiting to be identified.
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Are you ready for more people to listen when you speak? The way to get ahead in this life is to start at the beginning and know your true self.
I encourage you to Take the Keller Influence Indicator®(or KII®, pronounced “kay-two”). This is the first influence assessment designed to help you understand the exact influence traits it takes in order to create the change you want to see. You'll learn which of these influence traits are already working hard for you, and which ones need work.
"The FIRST requirement for being an influential person is knowing yourself." ~ Dr. Karen Keller
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