Authenticity

By Kirsten Laaspere on  2020-10-14

Sometimes you might be ghost writing for someone else or representing a brand that is bigger than one person, at which point you should match to the predefined voice for that person or brand. But if you are writing, speaking, or making a video as yourself, the best quality you can inhabit is authenticity.

We all want to hear a message that is human - not robotic (which is likely why they hired an actual person to record the voice of Siri.) We all want to feel like we are part of the conversation and authenticity helps accomplish this effect. Writing in a voice or tone that is authentic to you will draw in your audience. If you’re funny, be funny. (If you’re not - don’t try to force it. Or make sure you’ve run your jokes by numerous people to make sure that they’ll land.) 

And a methodology that works for someone else may not work for you, and it’s not worth trying to force-fit a tactic or program that isn’t your style. That isn’t to say you shouldn’t try new things and grow as a person or extend yourself outside your comfort zone every once in a while, but knowing the foundational truths about yourself will help you be more believable and keep your communications grounded in honesty.

I was entering into a negotiation and was given feedback from multiple parties on how I should go about it, most of which had to do with playing hardball, making sure I had the upper hand, pitching for an extreme so that we could compromise to my actual ideal scenario… and none of which sat right with me. I didn’t want to use subterfuge and manipulation; I wanted to use honesty, trust, and the genuine goal of finding an end result that was best for all involved. They might have been right about which tactics usually work best in a negotiation scenario, but I had to be true to myself (which worked, by the way.)

As Robert Frost suggested, following the road less traveled by makes all the difference. If you follow your own road instead of simply choosing the road laid out in front of you by others, it will lead to a destination true to you.

NOTE: Authenticity has exceptions for different types of communications, especially academic writings or other rules-and-guidelines based forms of communication.