How to Speak Up and Make a Difference

The world continues to feel smaller with more people sharing news, information and opinions. With so many sources of information and content related to the challenges and opportunities evolving each day, it is easy to feel like your voice does not get heard. Here are 3 tips to speak up and make a difference in a global community.

Own Your Expertise When You Speak Up

You are an expert. No one has walked in your shoes and travelled your individual journey to get to where you are today. Your experiences and the information you have learned through education and training are valuable. Communicate clearly and confidently about the issue you are addressing or the opportunity you are sharing. Building your own personal brand will support you in positioning yourself as an authority.

Focus on Your Audience Rather than Yourself

No matter how interesting you and your content is, people are interested in their lives more than yours. Focus on how your message will help people improve an area of their life or solve a problem that they have. People conduct millions of searches every day asking questions of Google. When you speak, whether with your voice, in a blog or in a social media post… add value to the people who are receiving your message. Provide stories and supporting experiences as well as information to back up your key messaging. Combine your information, relevant and sincere content with suggested actions. For example, if you are sharing about how someone can improve their health, give easy action steps that can be immediately implemented by your audience. When someone uses your content to make a positive change, they will seek you out for more.

Build a Platform from Which You Can Speak Out

There is no argument that social media serves an important role in being heard and making a difference. It is no longer just for social interaction. People get everything from global news to community updates through social media. They connect with preferred content providers online and create personalized feeds to deliver what they want to see. People take to social media to launch civic responsibility movements and create momentum for changes they want to see. You have an opportunity to tap into this resource and target your audience and niche that you want to serve. Whether for your business or for a cause that you are passionate about- social media must be part of your plan.

In addition to social media, blogging and writing online content are both powerful tools for brand building and sharing your message. By offering well-written and relevant content for the issue that you are addressing, you increase your credibility and allow for an easy way to make your messages shareable by others. You have an opportunity to do this through e-books, white papers, your website, a podcast and a variety of other distribution outlets. Pick one and start there and then as you add new outlets, your platform will continue to grow.

The Take Away

There is a lot of information and noise out in the marketplace… online and offline. The world needs you to speak up and to share your expertise so that others can benefit. By establishing and owning your expertise, focusing on your audience and building a platform from which you can speak where your audience is already looking for information- you will increase the probability that your message will be heard. Implement these tips today as you speak up and you will cut through the noise so people can benefit from your message.