Reply To: Exercise 7: Your Authentic Voice
Leadership Step by Step Exercise 7: Authentic Voice
I don’t believe my voice changed. Perhaps this is because I feel like I’ve often been one to speak my mind. It didn’t necessarily feel more authentic, but perhaps I felt like I was more free and liberated. I feared saying things I would regret in many cases and avoided saying certain things when I felt the urge to unleash my authentic voice. It was also comforting to have space held for it. I also feared saying things that would cause emotional reactions and undesired consequences, like the end of relationships. I later found out that if certain relationships couldn’t tolerate my authentic voice in a way that I could express myself, even when being mindful of sharing vs. attacking, perhaps the relationship might not be worth keeping.
When practicing with Beth and with Evelyn, it was neat to intentionally have space held for my authentic voice. Others seemed to respond to some of my fears and questions with non-judgment and empathy, which encouraged me to share openly.
I would like to do it more in a way that lets me feel more free and at the same time, avoids hurting others. I often think of what is said of people who call themselves ‘brutally honest’, that they are often more concerned with being brutal rather than being honest. I love honesty, and would love to embrace it more and more without fear of hurting others when what I say and feel can appear brutal.
I think audience matters so much here. So does strength of relationship. I still feel that certain situations warrant filtering – hence, my comments on appropriate audience and strength of relationship.