Finding Your Authentic Voice in Writing to Stand Out

We hear a lot about authenticity in writing, especially in business and brand communication. In practice, though, it often feels vague. Even aspirational.

In corporate environments, there’s often an unspoken pressure to conform. You start picking up business lingo and mirroring what leadership says. If your CEO starts using a new buzzword in a town hall, it shows up in emails the very next day. If your manager opens her message with “Per our last conversation…”, you might find yourself writing the same thing, whether it sounds like you or not.

That’s not necessarily wrong, but over time, it can flatten your voice. You start to write like everyone else, and that’s when your presence fades.

Here’s what we forget: Your authentic voice isn’t a writing style. It’s not a formula or a tone preset. It’s the way you express what you mean — clearly, consistently, and in a way that actually sounds like you. It’s about being honest and intentional.

Why It’s So Easy to Lose Your Voice

If you’ve spent years writing in corporate tones, technical formats, or templated emails, you’re not alone if your writing no longer sounds like you.

We’re often taught to prioritize clarity over personality, brevity over depth, and politeness over honesty. And while all those things matter, they shouldn’t come at the cost of your voice because your authentic voice is what helps you connect and build trust.

I remember being a young manager in corporate communications. One day, my boss asked me to revise my draft and adopt his writing style because, apparently, there’s only one acceptable style – his style.

It stuck with me because it made me realize how easily our voices can get buried under someone else’s. That is, if you allow them to.

Of course, I didn’t follow his advice, not because I thought I knew better, but because I trusted myself. (Luckily, he wasn’t my boss for long.) I stayed true to my own voice and writing style, and that choice paid off.

How to Find Your Voice

The good news is your authentic voice isn’t something you have to create from scratch. It’s already there. You don’t need to invent it. You just need to stop writing over it.

Here’s what it often sounds like:
- The words you use when you actually care about getting something across
- The way you explain things when you're in flow, not performing
- The clarity and rhythm that comes naturally when you're being real

Below are some tips to help find (or reclaim) your voice.

Listen to How You Sound in Conversation

Your authentic voice is often hiding in plain sight, in the words you use when you explain things to friends, colleagues, or clients. In conversation, you’re not trying to impress; you’re just trying to be understood. That’s your voice at work.

Action Tip 1:
Start noticing the words and phrasing you use when you're explaining ideas out loud. Pay attention to:
- How you simplify complex ideas
- What phrases or metaphors you reach for naturally
- Where you pause, repeat, or emphasize for clarity

Action Tip 2:
Record yourself talking through a point (or leave yourself a voice memo), then transcribe it. Highlight the phrases that feel honest and clear. Those are signals of your voice.

Action Tip 3:
Ask people you trust:
- When you read something I wrote, how do you know it’s from me?
- What does my voice sound like to you — warm, direct, reflective, sharp?

Reflect on What You Want to Be Known For

Your voice is shaped by your values. If you want to be known as thoughtful, strategic, creative, empathetic, then let that shape your tone.

My writing style has evolved over the years. I have tried all types of writing – creative, academic, technical, marketing, and others – but I felt most comfortable in business writing. I realized I preferred a straightforward, informative tone over creative and copywriting. That’s when I decided to focus on business writing and couple it with my corporate leadership experience to start Writing in Blue Ink.  Now I advocate for human-centered writing anchored in purpose, clarity, and authenticity.

Your turn. What do you want to be known for?

Action Tip:
Write down three qualities you want your writing to convey. Then review your recent work. Do those qualities show up? If not, what should you change?

Unlearn the “Right Way” to Sound Professional

Professional doesn’t have to mean overly structured and grammatically flawless. And it certainly doesn’t have to sound robotic.

Still, many people equate professional with formal and distant, often removing themselves from the message. Even seasoned professionals fall into the trap of defaulting to jargon and using passive voice, for example, which strips away their personality.

In reality, professional can also be respectful and warm, polished and direct, and clear and nuanced.

Let’s look at this sentence:

Pursuant to our previous discussion, please be advised that the deadline remains unchanged.

It sounds distant, impersonal, and overly formal.

But when we do this:

Just confirming: the deadline’s still the same as we discussed last week.

It feels more human. You’re not sacrificing credibility; you’re building trust by showing there’s a real person behind the message.

Try Writing Before You Overthink

When you write with authenticity, the hardest part often isn’t the words. It’s getting past the noise in your head. We tend to overthink and pause mid-sentence to adjust the tone. We wonder if it sounds smart enough, formal enough, or “on brand.”
We polish before we even say what we mean.

But authentic writing starts with raw clarity, not perfect form. Start writing before you start editing. Don’t format. Don’t prompt. Don’t tweak. Just get your point out, as if you were talking to a thoughtful, curious colleague.

This is the concept behind Anne Lamott’s Shitty First Drafts. In her words, even professional writers don’t start with brilliance; they just start. And when you write without judgment, you tap into your authentic voice. You’re expressing, not performing.

Action Tip:
Pick one idea you want to communicate. Now, write one paragraph about it. No stopping, no backspacing, no second-guessing. Then walk away. Come back and revise only what needs shaping.

Amid automation, prompts, and polished AI-generated content, your voice is what cuts through. Authenticity is what builds trust. It’s what makes people say: “I know who wrote that.”

It may not be perfect, but it’s honest and sincere. And in today’s content-saturated world, that’s what earns trust and makes your writing stand out. That’s your differentiator. That’s your competitive advantage.

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If you found this helpful and want to support more human-centered writing, please consider buying me a coffee. It helps keep the ideas (and caffeine) flowing, and I truly appreciate it.