The Beginning of Advancement

Finding one's voice is as much apart of our growth as individuals as anything. Finding the courage to speak up and out is not easy, especially when risking the judgment and critique of others. This is never easy. None of us like scorn or rejection. Who among us doesn't want agreement? Reality, of course, tells us we do not get that one hundred percent of the time. After all, others have their own perspectives and often times view how we see things as being off-base. One result is that many times people are reluctant to express themselves for fear of being challenged and criticized. This is one reason why so many folks, myself included at times, do not like speaking in front of others.


For much of my professional life I have taught an array of communication classes, including ones in writing, public relations, public speaking and even client relations. If I had to select one common denominator in each of those classes, it is the challenge of helping students find their own voice. Regardless of the focus of the class, the great majority of the thousands of students I have had the honor of teaching these many years have struggled with developing enough courage to where they are comfortable openly expressing themselves in class. Generally, class discussions have revolved around a few rather than the majority of the students.


A fundamental goal of mine as a teacher is to get students to understand that while learning and understanding the subject matter are extremely important, so, too, is developing the ability and even the nerve to talk about it front of others. Such a skill only becomes more critical in the years beyond school. Being able to explain one's perspective to a spouse, a boss, co-workers, children and others not only helps define people as individuals, it also contributes greatly to strengthening ties between people and adds a building block to the advancement of society. All it all begins with the search for one's voice.