I often talk about the importance of appreciating and using your authentic voice—in the talks I give, the podcast I co-host with Jerome Deroy, and in Coaching sessions. We tend to think of “authenticity” as something gentle and natural, like simply aligning with our true selves.

But here’s the truth: using your authentic voice requires courage. It asks you to speak even when your inner critic is suggesting you soften your words, edit your truth, or stay silent altogether.

As I write this, I’m fighting for concentration because my “inner Queens Girl”—my ongoing source of gritty, no-nonsense Wisdom—is loudly interrupting. So I’m handing her the mic:

“Whatareyoukiddingme? The way you’re writing, it sounds like you glide into these ‘Learned-It-in-Queens’ stories without a care in the world. How about telling people what it was REALLY like presenting at that Storytelling Symposium in Germany? Your colleagues were quoting scientific books, theories, and research on brain function… and YOU brought along Fritz Gunther, the ironworker from Queens, as your change-management muse!”

As usual, she’s right. Saying “keep it authentic” is one thing.
Living it, especially in front of a global audience, is another.

During that virtual presentation, I was:

Unable to see the audience, staring instead into the dark, unblinking eye of my Logitech camera
Slowing down my natural NYC pace so listeners in Germany could follow my rhythm
Concentrating fiercely to tell the entire story without skipping important details

All while visualizing people smiling or laughing—because in reality, I was speaking into total silence.
No chuckles.
No coughs.
No chair squeaks.
No evidence that anyone was even there.

Was my story landing?
Were they engaged?
Or was this a collective moment for a quiet mid-day nap?

And yet… when I finished, I felt relief. Then pride.
And when I finally saw their reactions—smiles, laughs, warm faces—I remembered something Murray Nossel once said:

“You can’t get it wrong. It’s your story. Go tell it.”

This is what I’m carrying forward.
Using your authentic voice is a risk. It’s stepping into uncertainty with your truth in hand.
And you never know what will happen until you take that chance to speak in the way only you can.

The end.

#AuthenticVoice
#Storytelling
#PublicSpeaking
#LeadershipDevelopment
#CommunicationSkills
#PersonalGrowth

#SpeakerLife
#PresentationSkills
#VirtualSpeaking
#Storytellers
#SpeakWithConfidence#Leadership
#ProfessionalDevelopment
#MindsetMatters
#ChangeManagement

#BeYourself
#CourageToSpeak
#RealTalk
#learneditin Queens

#QueensGirl
#NYCStories
#AuthenticLeadership

The post Learning How to Use Your Authentic Voice is a Constant Lesson appeared first on jryanpartners.com.

Originally Published on https://jryanpartners.com/feed/

Julienne Ryan Humorist, Speaker, Trainer, Facilitator, Coach

Julienne B. Ryan began her professional career at age five when she did TV commercials and learned important things like “the teamsters always eat first,” her social security number and how to endorse checks for bank deposit.

Ryan studied psychology in college because she wanted to understand humans. She conducted her “field work” in a variety of roles, hearing the phrases “merger synergies, reorganizations, downsizing and rightsizing for change” more times than she cares to mention.

Later she enrolled in an Ivy League graduate school where she paid oodles of money to validate her prior on-the-job learning experiences. However, she did learn to name drop up-to-date theories and trendy psychologists with alarming ease.

Ryan evolved into working in “Talent Management,” a fancy way of saying “try to find people and keep them moderately happy.” With inadequate budgets and staff allocations, she had to find creative ways to encourage her staff to work effectively. These ranged from begging and borrowing resources, improvising childcare, telling stories and even giving snacks as rewards. She tried to convince herself that working a bazillion hours and “multi-tasking” equaled achievement.

Her work took place in cubicles, conference rooms or, with luck, in offices with a door. Occasionally she would make the time to emerge from her allotted real estate to really talk to people. Ryan learned something transformative in the process:

Yes, she was effective. But not because she used fancy theories – or gave great snacks. Ryan’s success, her staff believed, was a result of her uncanny knack for weaving storytelling with humor to motivate and encourage them. Crucially, they encouraged Ryan to de-emphasize “that normal HR stuff” and focus on bringing her unique storytelling skills to a broader stage.

Thanks to them, Ryan continues to collect, connect and tell stories in her work helping people find their “true selves in the world of work.

She is the author of the humorous, all true "The Learned It In Queens Communications Playbook - Winning Against Distraction!".that now includes a workbook and is available at booksellers across the globe..

She is a guest contributor to The Procurement Foundry, LifeBlood, and the global storytelling community.

Certifications include
Accumatch (BI) Behavior Intelligence
Narativ Applied Storytelling Methodologies
Collective Brains – Mentorship Methodologies