Finding your voice. It’s one of the hardest things to do, whether it’s developing your writing style, establishing your role in a relationship or leading others through difficult times.
Finding your voice in the chaos of the newsroom is especially hard if you’re the quiet type.
I know from personal experience. I grew up in a family where we were encouraged to listen to others and not interrupt. Try behaving that way in a news meeting and you’ll never get a word in edgewise.
Finding your voice is hard because it requires you to know some important things about yourself — what you value, what you love, what you will stand up for. And it requires that you be comfortable with yourself, warts and all.
A strong voice doesn’t always have to be loud, but it has to be authentic, honest and clear. And so, if you’re like me and you constantly struggle to find your voice in the newsroom, or if you’re mentoring a colleague who has the same struggle, you might need some tips. Here are some you can start applying now.
Communicate what you stand for.
- Take some time to reflect on three or four key things that you stand for in the newsroom. Maybe you want to push for stronger investigative reporting, or create a collaborative process for multimedia storytelling, or foster more powerful visual packages, or help reporters venture into under-covered communities. Think about what values might lie behind those goals: public service, storytelling, diversity, collaboration, technology. What do you stand for?
- Use every opportunity to speak up about the values that are close to your heart — in coaching sessions, critiques, news meetings and one-on-one conversations. Of course, you can’t just talk the talk; you have to walk the walk and be a dedicated student. For example, let’s say that connecting with readers and viewers is key to you, and you want to help develop your news organization’s social media strategy. Make sure to engage in social media yourself and study its best practices. Meet up with other colleagues who have social media expertise and soak up their knowledge.
- Remember that communicating is not just about talking or writing. It’s about how you conduct yourself. You have to lead by example. For example, if collaboration is a key value for you, you have to incorporate teamwork into your daily work. If you’re an advocate for narrative storytelling, share some great narratives with your staff.
Speak up at meetings.
- If your organization has a regular critique, daily news meeting or weekly planning meeting, come prepared to say at least one or two things. If you’re going to attend a meeting to brainstorm ideas, come prepared with some ideas.
- If you have trouble formulating your thoughts or articulating what you want to say, write down what you want to say ahead of time.
- Raise your hand so that you commit to saying something. Try to do that within the first four or five comments. The longer you wait, the harder it will be to jump in.
- If you’re a quiet person, you’re probably a good listener. Use your listening skills to your advantage. Try speaking up by tying a few threads together, or “piggy-backing” on what another participant said and expanding on it.
Engage others in one-on-one conversations.
- Get out of your office or cubicle and do the walkabout. I fail miserably at this all the time, but I try, at least once a day, to walk through the newsroom and check on how people are doing. I stop by reporters’ desks and pay visits to photo and graphics editors. I learn so much about how they’re doing, what’s going on in the newsroom and what stories I haven’t heard about — and I get great story ideas.
- Make sure to use eye contact and facial expressions to show your attention. Don’t let your computer or telephone (or smartphone!) distract you. When you’re in a conversation with your colleague, give him or her your full attention.
- Take time to truly listen, rather than thinking of your next point in the conversation. Learn how to restate what you’ve heard to show that you understand what the person has said.
What additional tips do you have? Feel free to share them in the comments section.
