How To Speak Up

When you want to disagree with an opinion, voice a new idea, or perhaps question a current practice, speaking up can be intimidating. (Tweet it!) In fact, research suggests that most people tend to not act in such situations, and then rationalize their inaction. But we cannot really be diligent employees, thoughtful colleagues, or empathic leaders if we deny our own voices. So, what can we do?
 


Writing in The Harvard Business Review Columbia University’s Heidi Grant, a social psychologist and author of Reinforcements: How to Get People to Help You, offers these strategies:
 

• Recognize the psychological difficulty of speaking up: Your worthwhile plan will go a bit easier if you acknowledge it won't be easy.
• Try to lessen the social threat that speaking up creates: Especially when you’re communicating up the chain of command, make it clear you are providing feedback on impact, rather than on intent.
• Make a plan: Even though you won’t be able to predict the specific outcomes of every scenario, creating a plan for how to speak up can significantly increase the likelihood that you will do so when the moment presents itself, and that success will be more likely.

 
Can you offer an example of a time when your speaking up had a positive impact? How did you ready yourself to do so? To join the conversation, click "comments" on our Community of Practice Forum.
 
If you would like to learn more about creating a habit around masterful communication, check out our online learning programs. 

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