When you don’t speak out, the world misses out on what could be your game-changing idea, inspiring perspective or important cautionary tale. Too often women and underrepresented people are too afraid to speak up, share their authentic opinions and experiences, and actually make their organizations more successful. That’s a tragedy. Today, I speak with leadership communication expert and author Hope Timberlake about what speaking out and authenticity really mean and what holds even the most extroverted among us back from expressing our ideas. We discuss how empathy is the key to getting over some of those fears, and framing your idea in an effective way that resonates with your audience. We even attempted to puzzle out why there are many good leaders out there, who are good at “getting the job done” but are horrible at communication! 

Key Takeaways:

• Having an inner critic is universal. Even the most empathetic people turn the intensity inward and get hypercritical. 
• We cannot be leaders in a vacuum, we work with others at all levels and the way we do that is by communicating. 
• You always bring your unique perspective to everything you do. Tell your story, in your voice, and it is going to resonate with someone somewhere. 

"It’s so important to divorce the outcome from the input. What you're sharing, you're sharing for the purpose of sharing and flexing that muscle, of sharing your voice, and sharing your ideas. Whatever happens is fine." —  Hope Timberlake

About Hope Timberlake:

Hope Timberlake, Leadership Communication Expert and Author

Hope Timberlake is a speaker, trainer and author who focuses on the communication side of leadership. She is passionate about persuasive messaging, relationship building, executive presence, developing others, and elevating the voices of women and those underrepresented in leadership. Her book, Speak Up, Dammit! How to Quiet Your Fears, Polish Your Presence and Share Your Voice published in October 2021.

Hope works with executives and their teams across many industries at companies including AirBnB, Autodesk, Bank of America, BlackRock, Dropbox, Intel, PlayStation, Splunk and many scaling start-ups.

Hope earned her Bachelor of Arts degree from Duke University and completed a Masters degree at University of California, Berkeley. She lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband, teenaged children and dog Mona.

Connect with Hope:  

Website (for her book and Masterclass): www.HopeTimberlake.com

Twitter: https://twitter.com/hopetimber

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hopetimberlake/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/speakupdamnit

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hopetimberlake/

Don’t forget to download your free guide! Discover The 5 Business Benefits of Empathy: http://red-slice.com/business-benefits-empathy

Connect with Maria: 

Get the podcast and book: TheEmpathyEdge.com

Learn more about Maria’s brand strategy work and books: Red-Slice.com

Hire Maria to speak at your next event: Red-Slice.com/Speaker-Maria-Ross

LinkedIn: Maria Ross

Instagram: @redslicemaria

Twitter: @redslice

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