Building INFLUENCE Through Your Voice

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Last week, I wrote about building influence through content. The idea I had was to get clear about your position and then build a body of work aligned to that position.

The ideas I shared – about why you should bother to have an opinion, about what issues you should be opinionated about, about the value of curation to supplement, even enhance your own content and the importance of your network for amplifying your voice – are relevant.

Isn’t building influence through your voice the same thing? No, not quite. Let me explain how I see it. Curation in itself is not your voice. It is someone else’s but you see value in the content and you share it. You do that because you are motivated by the issue you are advocating or building awareness in. The content shared adds value to what you bring to the table and makes you someone to be counted upon.

And content you develop comes from you but it’s not you. Your voice is how you’re recognised by those around you. It’s what makes you predictable at one end of the spectrum (in a good way, hopefully) but also, renowned, at the other end. It speaks to your values, your work, your skills and it definitely takes time to discover and hone. In short, the content is akin to the vehicle carrying the bigger thing through – your voice. The content changes depending on the audience, format and intent. But the voice remains the same.

One thing I learnt early in my career is the importance of presentation as a core strength ie the whole substance vs packaging argument. I realised, in my own way and time, how the best content poorly packaged failed to make a significant impact and likewise, how flashy packaging could see poor, shallow content through. Many things in life, you will come to realise, only seem to register when you make sense of it in your own way. Words, no matter how you may come to understand them, won’t have enough depth without the context of experience.

Todd Henry talks about the four phases of developing your creative voice and it resonates with me. He writes that:

And he’s absolutely right. In his words, I saw my life unfold.

The discovery phase – I certainly had to go through that. And it’s where most will start and stop because it’s hard, uncertain and there’s no one around to guide you through this. It’s a maze only you can discover with patience and practice.

The emulation phase – Yes, been there, done that. Felt like a fraud and for the longest time, kept my voice out of my content because of fear. Honing through emulation, as Todd puts it, is about mimicking the work of your influencers to build a basic platform of skills from which to then branch out. But you have to stay through the process, undaunted by the quality of what you produce and motivated enough by a big picture view of what you’re trying to do and where you’re aiming to be. Because if you look purely at the present, you will be demotivated by all accounts. Imposter syndrome, a steadfast companion.

The divergence phase – this is the period when continuing with emulation becomes unbearable and you start experimenting with having a voice. I remember this period well. At the time, I was getting fed up with repeating what was being said. There was insufficient value in merely echoing what was already out there, the value lay in the unique confluence of ideas, emotion and determination that drove the ideas forward with energy. But to begin, it required a degree of comfort with being uncomfortable. It required patience to see this long road through to what I regarded as an uncertain end. I could only hope I would get to where I was going. But what was at stake? I either keep on emulating and achieving nothing of substance or I strike out on my own and make a stab at it. Go hard or go home, right?

The crisis phase – the final phase is the point at which you’ve come around to the other side and achieved success. You begin to protect what you’re known for, it’s comfortable and familiar. It leads to getting stuck.

I’ve not reached this phase yet so can’t add to this. But I am reminded of a quote I read somewhere about how things don’t get easier and, instead, it’s you that’s getting better. When you get to the stage where you’re comfortable with being uncomfortable, you’re willing to take chances with yourself and put it out on the line. It brings you closer to an authentic life. And that makes the ride worth it, doesn’t it?

If you like what you read, invest a few minutes to read Todd Henry’s article on the four phases of developing your creative voice as published on 99U.