It’s the buzzword of the moment but it’s been around for a while. It’s the act of living in the moment, staying true to yourself, and behaving with conviction. In an age of influencers, social media, and #ad, it’s about not being “fake”, but standing by your values and morals.
Being your authentic self can feel risky now in our screen-obsessed world and as a result, the image we present (on our social media profiles and in real life) have become mere presentations of who we think we should be and not reflections of who we really are.
From working with businesses on their communications and brand presence for almost 10 years, today Laura Cutress of Laura Rose Creative is sharing her tried and tested top tips for communicating with authenticity, and what on earth it means for your business!
Let go of the inner critic
How often do you second guess yourself, censor or slap a filter over a selfie? Next time you find yourself editing, drafting, and re-drafting something – ask yourself why. Are you putting on a posh phone voice type persona that’s not really you? Are you struggling to think of something to say? Chances are if it’s a struggle and it doesn’t run onto the page like verbal diarrhea, it’s not authentic because it doesn’t light you up from the inside. If you can’t say anything true… do you need to say anything at all!?
Tap into your inner values
Your authentic self will always be drawn to the same elements and values, and these are largely the same as your ideal clients’. They are the reason you do what you do, why your offering is different – and that is your superpower. Don’t be scared of sharing your feelings, your audience will be feeling them too, and connect with your humanity.
Connect at a soul level with your ideal audience
Connecting from the soul is the most authentic way to do business. When you know, you know… It’s not about making sure you are sharing things of equal value or consorting to produce something to build you both up. It’s the trust, the values, and personality that you can only share with someone when you both show up with your authentic selves. Its honesty and respect, appreciation, and excitement.
By sharing what you stand for with your community, there will be some people who don’t like it, and that’s okay – they aren’t on your wavelength. But on the other hand, there’s the crowd that gets you down to the bones, and will follow your every move, shout your praises from the rooftops and help craft your brand from a personal level.
Stand by your boundaries
That pesky inner critic likes to pop up and try to persuade them to break their own rules, but if you don’t work past 4 pm, don’t take calls on your personal phone, and don’t want to have pre-10am meetings, then don’t.
You set these boundaries for a reason – and your clients will respect you for looking after you and what you need. If it helps, set an out of office stating clearly your work hours and how long people can expect a reply. Communication isn’t just social media; it’s every piece of information that comes from your business, even out of hours.
Do the inner work to be able to know what you need to say
If you’ve read all the above and are still feeling lost. Ask yourself what are your values, what is your brand message?! A perfect place to start is deep down within you, ask yourself who you are and what is it that you stand for, as well as asking what your purpose in the world is.
Now ask the same Qs of your business. The perfect place to start is right at the beginning – why did you start your business? For who? What do you want to achieve with it?
