Finding your voice at work • 2 min read
Research from the University of Pennsylvania, involving 405 employees across multiple companies, revealed that the reasons for either speaking up or staying silent relate to consequences as well as their motivations.
The study concluded that silence, and keeping our opinions to ourselves, impacts on our wellbeing and can potentially contribute to burnout and loss of self-esteem.
Introduction
At times, it’s difficult to bring our whole selves to work. Many of us find it to be challenging to speak up and express ourselves when it counts.
In this post, we’re going to discuss the inherent problems around holding back and not expressing ourselves.
How my silence is holding me back
Speaking up at work can be a real challenge for some of us. It’s not that we don’t have the opinions or the smarts — we have it in spades! Whether the meeting’s face-to-face or online, it's easy to feel self-conscious and at a loss over what to say.
However, finding the courage to do so is critical to our success because:
When we stay silent, our unique perspectives will be lost. The diversity of our experiences and expertise plays an invaluable role in the quality of our collective decision-making.
When we suppress our ideas, we become frustrated and underappreciated. We’re not robots — we all have valuable knowledge and experiences to share.
In many companies, our leadership ability is partly measured by how we ‘hold our own’ in meetings.
Struggling to speak up in the moment?
Firstly, do any of the below thoughts sound familiar?
I just can’t find the nerve to speak up because:
I don’t feel that my peers respect my opinions, so they won’t listen anyway
Other people’s intelligence and self-assuredness intimidate me
People will just talk over me anyway
I can’t bear the idea of sounding stupid
I feel like my ideas are pretty basic and someone will have thought of them already
I avoid “rocking the boat” or confrontation at all costs
I prefer to blend in and not attract any attention to myself
Brainstorms freak me out and I only ever come up with half-baked ideas
I’d rather hold back until my idea is bullet-proof
Why that darned cat gets your tongue
So why do we feel fear when others seem so sure of themselves? Is it the overly confident, smug colleague who keeps throwing out ‘brilliant’ ideas? Or the piercing gaze of your manager?
Research finds that people can refrain from speaking up for any of the below reasons:
Fear of being ostracized
Not wanting to be embarrassed
Avoidance of negative remarks
Being new and intimidated by company hierarchy
Feeling like speaking up is inappropriate
Having past experiences of being ‘shot down’ by bigger voices
Key takeaways
Struggling to speak up at work can be an issue for many and often stems from the fear of being judged.
When we contribute to group discussions, we will more likely gain recognition as potential leaders down the line, who can comfortably engage with peers and provide the parameters for inclusive conversations.
Suppression of our ideas can lead to frustration and boredom within a role, and in a wider sense, loss of self-esteem and confidence in our abilities.
Think big. act small
Finding one’s voice means that we need to be confident, assured, knowledgeable and comfortable with who we are and how we communicate.
Next time, we’ll look into some key methods to find our voice and make it soar.
Content sources
Forbes, 2021, Adi Gaskell, ‘Why People Don’t Always Speak Up At Work’
Forbes, 2020, Jennifer Reimert, ‘Four Ways To Find Your Voice At Work’
Forbes, 2010, Chrissy Scivicque, ‘How To Find Your Voice At Work’
Harvard Business Review, 2021, Tijs Besieux, Amy C. Edmondson, and Femke de Vries, How to Overcome Your Fear of Speaking Up in Meetings
Harvard Business Review, Khalil Smith, Heidi Grant, and David Rock March 04, 2019 ‘How to Speak Up When It Matters’
Harvard Business Review, 2019, Alison Shapira, ‘How to Speak Up in a Meeting, and When to Hold Back’
Mindtools.com, ‘How to Get Your Voice Heard in Meetings’
Psychology Today, 2021, Carol S. Pearson Ph.D., ‘Leadership Lessons for Effectively Speaking Up.’
Psychology Today, 2020, Mark Minikas, ‘Do You Dare Speak Up in Your Company?’
TedEx, Jennifer Brown, ‘Finding your voice in the workplace’
Thriveglobal.com, Gerry J. Tucker “3 Keys to Finding Your Voice in the Workplace’
Comments