Establishing the Right Voice

Every day, with every interaction, we have the opportunity to offer subtle, thought-provoking, enlightening responses. Do you keep that in mind every time you connect with your audience? With writing, we have a unique chance to step back and re-assess before sending a message to the world, which is essentially what we're doing when we send out a tweet, post to a Facebook wall or update a website or blog. Are you taking that breath?

To get started on writing thoughtfully, take a deep breath. Try to clear your head and imagine you're turning the page on all the notes of scribble on plans that may have gotten muddled or too complicated to render themselves useful. Find a blog or two that consistently offers calming or inspirational advice. There are a lot of great ones out there, including Seth's Blog (get a taste with a recent post, "Subtlety, Deconstructed") and Zen Habits, which offers thoughtful tips about increasing productivity and quality of work.

Then, take a moment to review what social media is and what you'd like to use it for. Do you want to rally people for a singular cause, or build an interactive community? For a fun take on the definition and purposes of social media, I recommend checking out a video with the Case Foundation's muppet character Click Daly. The foundation created this video to empower audiences to use social media to create their own messaging, set their own goals and perhaps most importantly, use their own voices.

Take another deep breath. Start thinking about who you're going to be talking to, then what you'd like them to learn and do and finally, think about the ideal relationship you'd like to have with them. Navigating the line between sharing personal vs. professional voice sounds tricky, but keep in mind that everything comes with time. Kivi Leroux Miller and Geoff Livingston discussed walking that line in a video interview available here.

Remember that once you get your audience on board, you want to empower them with enough information that they can take the reigns and begin calling on others to act. That being said, you need to be their spotter too, offering guidance, support and encouragement. Rob Howard wrote a very interesting post on Mashable, called "HOW TO: Manage a Sustainable Online Community." with a break-down of the steps to mitosis, the ideal point to reach with your audience when they break out and begin to form their own niche groups to support your larger cause.

Keep watering your seeds of thought with ideas you get from other writers, your experience and your surroundings and you'll inevitably begin to improve your communication skills and increase your ability to effectively empower others to take charge and embrace the cause. Have faith in your ability, and don't forget to breathe.