Latest / She Speaks to Scale / 23. Finding Your Voice After A Break (And How to Come Back Strong)
Transcript
- Sarah Collins: Hello and welcome to She Speaks the Scale with me, Sarah Collins. the podcast that empowers women in business to own their voice, be heard and create impact, one communication insight at a time. a former senior television producer for ITV and ITN. It's my mission to bring the communication skills we need to thrive in today's world of business to the generation of women who simply weren't taught them. Whether it's scaling your authority and stepping into thought leadership, scaling your impact on camera on stage and beyond, or scaling your revenue through speaking opportunities, this podcast will help you use your voice to be heard so you're trusted and remembered when it matters most. Before we begin, if a speaking opportunity came your way tomorrow, would you pass on it, say yes through the nerves or confidently agree? Understanding your speaker identity is the first step to being able to scale and I have a quiz to help you do just It takes two minutes to complete and we'll tell you where you are now and your potential next steps on your speaking journey. I'll drop the link in the show notes. Happy September. It's that funny transition time, isn't it? When we're back to work, back to school. But the brain is still a little hazy from the heat and memories made during the summer. I had an incredible family holiday in Italy and took two full weeks off from my business. From posting on social media, from recording my podcasts, and it was bliss and very much needed. Notice I said recording then rather than actually publishing. I worked really hard at the end of July, early August, to batch create my podcast episodes, schedule them all in, and schedule some posts for August too, so that I could take some time off. And I'm so grateful for that. Now you may be struggling with motivation right now too, which is absolutely normal at this time of year. I've certainly felt that way many times. So in this episode, I wanted to help with exactly that, specifically when it comes to speaking, the topic of finding your voice again after you've had a break. I had already planned to put out an episode on this, but it also came up in conversation with someone I spoke to this morning. So I took that as a sign that it's probably what you're thinking about right now. I know you have valuable insights to share and a wealth of experience, true credentials to support why you do what you do. You're likely a couple of years or a few years maybe into your business and have dabbled in some speaking opportunities, perhaps a podcast here and there, maybe a talk for a networking event or in your organization. When you reflect on what you've done so far, I want you to ask yourself. Did those opportunities help me to scale my authority, scale my impact, or scale my revenue? I believe that every speaking opportunity does at least one of these, but there comes a point when you start to understand that you need all three working together to really scale your business. So, right now you might have a niggling feeling that it's time to accelerate what you do. The desire to get your message out to the world on a wider scale. Perhaps the fear of judgment is rearing its head and you're overthinking what to say. You know, because it's September, it's time for big, bold moves as you assess your business growth strategy for the autumn. And you know, speaking and sharing your voice needs to feature heavily. And it's because I know all of this about you that I know finding your voice again after a break is something that is worth addressing today. I know all this as well because I have been there. When I officially started my business with an introduction video on Instagram, I didn't show my face or let my audience hear my voice again for a very long time. I let any kind of consistency fall by the wayside, letting the fear and doubt get in the way of being the voice and face of my business. Fresh out of my corporate job, I feared what previous colleagues would think and let the comparison of others ahead of me stop me from taking action. I've taken short breaks previously, mainly for school holidays, as I've got two children, and in the early days, it would take me days to then post on social media and send an email to my email list. I was overthinking what to say, and what I did say didn't really have any kind of clear direction, and I completely see that now. But because I have laid the foundations, I'm absolutely clear on my messaging and story. I know exactly what to say after taking a short break now, which is really both reassuring and comforting. In fact, my first official day back at work this week included an interview for a magazine, which I'm a headline feature for. I was straight back into talking about what I do with no hesitation, but instead complete clarity, confidence, and composure. But it's taken work to get to that point, and this is exactly how I help my clients today. The feeling of needing to find your voice again is completely normal. You feel it's gone quiet over the summer, and now the pressure is on for your audience to hear from you again. The words that came so easily in perhaps June and July now feel really hard to come by. And the rhythm you were in over spring and summer now feels like a distant memory. When you step away from consistently speaking, that muscle becomes a little stiff and that inner chatter I spoke about during my summer series becomes much louder. Things like, who am I to talk about this? Has anyone even missed me? Does what I have to say still matter? Well, I'm here to tell you that yes, it does. And here's how you can find your voice again. The first thing I want you to do before you record anything, before you post anything, before you pitch for opportunities is to go back to basics. and by basics I mean your messaging and your story, your why, your who, your what, and your how. The foundation of everything you communicate. All in one place. This is such an important document and it's what I help my clients produce when we work together. It's a one-stop shop, if you like, for everything about you that's going to help when it comes to those speaking opportunities. If you don't have a master messaging document, now is the perfect time to create one because when you have clarity on your message, finding your voice becomes so much easier. It means that you're not always starting from scratch every time you sit down to create content. You have something you can continually return to. It should include things like your mission, the why behind what you do, your ideal client, who you're speaking to, and what they're struggling with right now, your key messages, the three to five things you want to be known for, that you weave into everything you say. Your unique approach, what makes you different from everyone else in your space, and your stories, the personal ones and the client examples that bring your expertise to life. If you already have one, go back and read it this week. Remind yourself of who you are, what you stand for, and why you do what you do. Because after a break, that reminder is often all it takes to help you feel like yourself again. And if you don't have one, really encourage you to start today. The second tip is to look at your feedback as gold dust. So there's nothing that gives a quick confidence boost more when you're feeling a little demotivated than looking back at previous feedback. Testimonials, comments, emails that have been sent, and DMs instantly provide you with how you made a difference, how someone resonated, or what truly landed with others. They are really a goalbind for giving you something to say or at least to raise your confidence when it comes to speaking about what you do. Your inner chatter might be telling you people have moved on and that you're starting from scratch, but this evidence is a reminder that that's not true at all. So before you even think about speaking, go and read them. And then thirdly, set yourself a challenge. So, as someone who thrives off deadlines and challenges, I have found that there is no better way to find your voice than setting yourself a challenge. The clients I've worked with over the summer have spoken on podcasts, are setting up their own podcast, and have been given the opportunity to speak on a panel. Pick one area in which you'd like to scale your speaking and then give yourself a challenge to match that. So, if you're starting out, it could be posting a weekly to camera reel on social media, or perhaps if you're a little bit further down in your journey and you really want to accelerate that speaking to scale, starting a weekly or monthly video series or podcast could also be a goal. It's a great way to hold yourself accountable, and your audience will quickly expect to hear from you in this way too. On a personal note, I started my podcast, this podcast back in April, and it's really helped me keep consistent with my voice, raising my confidence as to what I'm speaking about. So having a little break from recording anything over August and coming back now to record this episode, actually, it's been a lot easier than I thought it would be. And that's because I've done the groundwork leading up to this point. And I really want that for you too. I want speaking to come easily, to be as if it's something that is just second nature to you. These three tips, once you've done them, if you're still overthinking what to say, then I do encourage you to input. your master document, any feedback you've received, and you could even input your challenge details too into AI as an ideas generator. Remember, AI can't replicate your insights, your thoughts, or your perspective. However, so do put your own spin on anything it may produce, but for sparking some curiosity, it can be actually really helpful. And of course, you could also seek out support from someone like a speaking coach. If we're not already connected on Instagram or LinkedIn, then do come and connect with me. It's where I share all about how you can speak to scale your authority, impact, and revenue. Now best of luck finding your voice again and if I leave you with anything, let it be this. Remember, there's people out there that want to hear from you. Thank you for listening to this episode of She Speaks to Scale. If you liked the episode or you think it will be useful for someone else, please follow and leave a review. Don't forget there's a link to my speaker identity quiz in the show notes. It takes just two minutes to find out where you are now on your speaking journey and what your next move should be. Remember to speak with intention, not hesitation and let your voice be heard.