Your voice is your superpower.
My voice is my superpower. I didn’t always understand that I have power in what I say, how I say it, and if I say it. When I am not using my voice, it doesn’t mean I am complicit. I make a point to use my voice when it matters the most and when there is an audience to hear what I am communicating.
Using your voice is understanding you have the power and ability to influence people, situations, and moments that matter. You can shift a paradigm when you choose to use your voice to send a message on a challenging topic or in a stressful moment. It may be hard for the audience to hear, but that doesn’t mean you stay silent.
There are times when staying silent negatively impacts the community. Speak up for those that are underrepresented, overrepresented, and even do not know what they don’t know. Speak for those that cannot speak for themselves. This is critical to tell your story with conviction. Your voice IS your superpower so use it wisely.
Speak up when you know a community is being excluded. Whether it is meant to be excluded or not, make it known there are people in need of what is being offered or opportunity to be had.
I’ve found great solace in using my voice as a superpower especially when I have facts and lived experiences to back up what I am sharing. I may speak my truths into a microphone at a public event or I may hold back until a later time. Sometimes a smaller setting is more receptive to a particular message. I believe you can always catch more bees with honey than vinegar.
Your voice matters.
Allow what you say to be reflective of what needs to happen to move a community or situation forward. There are times when I’ve spoken up and there were different, perhaps better, results than what I intended. I felt good that I had recognized what was needed and that the need was addressed, even if it differed from how I would have managed it.
And listen when others are speaking. That’s also a superpower.
Being silent doesn’t mean you don’t care. For me, it’s probably that I am listening and recognize now is not the time to speak. It’s likely I made note of something and there is a better strategy in a smaller group or one-to-one meeting. Asking in front of a crowd isn’t always the way to handle yourself so read the room and be strategic in your speaking and listening.
Keep in mind that you may not be the right person to deliver a message. It may be better coming from someone else. When you try to deliver a message that isn’t right for you, your brand, or your mission, your voice has less power. Let those with a more influential voice bring the message forward instead of you. In this case, you’re not yielding your power, you’re being strategic in messaging.
That’s what makes networking and connections so important. In some circles, I am the nonprofit leader, the arts and culture professional, or the business owner. I may be talking to individuals who identify as males, non-binary, students, or executives so how I communicate may differ. What, when, and how I deliver my message is strategic. And it can be for you too. That’s how you make the most of your superpower.
When you’re using your voice as your superpower, in any situation, it is not about a one-time moment. It is about building a bridge, community, and making connections. Sometimes it is rebuilding broken relationships or partners for the great good. It is about listening. It is knowing when to yield to others and when to speak up. And it’s knowing that a smaller meeting may be the best choice.
Your voice is your superpower. Use it wisely.
