Guide: How to Speak Up and Sound Like Yourself (Even When You’re Talking Business)

Why Sounding Like Ourselves Matters (And Why It’s Gotten Harder)

You know that feeling when you read your own posts or article and think, “ick”?

For me it’s either that I think I sound like like a poser,  using words I’d never actually say in conversation, or that I’ve hidden my personality, likes, dislikes, and quirks, behind writing formulas, or templates, that are supposed to “work.”

What it amounts to is that I’ve chosen efficiency instead of connection.

And I should know better! After years of helping people clarify their own voice, messaging, and content, I have learned that our authentic voice is our real competitive advantage.

The good news? It’s easy to get back.

I wrote this guide to help you find your voice again — and keep it, even when you’re using tools to help you create faster.

The Read-Aloud Test to Ensure You Sound Like Yourself

Before we dive in, humor me.

Go to your website. Find your homepage headline or your “About” section. Read it out loud.

How did that feel?

• Like you’re talking to a friend? ✨ You’re golden.
• A bit stiff but still recognizable? 🎯 We can work with this.
• Like you’re reading a corporate press release? 😬 Oh dear, we might need a chat.

My rule: If you wouldn’t say something in a conversation, your audience probably won’t believe you mean it in your marketing.

And yep, this applies to your AI-generated content too. Maybe especially so.

Five Voice Killers (And How They Sneak Into Your Life)

1. Jargon Overload

Sounds like: “We leverage synergistic solutions to optimize your potential for scalable growth.”
Actually means: “We help your business grow.”
Why it happens: We think big words make us sound smarter. They don’t.
Fix: Use words you know in ways you normally use them. Have a friend review your copy.

2. The AI Echo Chamber

Sounds like: Everything has the same rhythm, same phrases, same… flatness.
Why it happens: AI learns from patterns, and if we’re all using the same writing, we’re feeding … um, ourselves. Garbage in, garbage out.
Fix: Play with language. Draft in your own voice before turning to AI, then always, always, finish with a human pass, interjecting your own phrasing and thoughts.

3. The Template Trap

Sounds like: “What do you think? Please share in the comments!” (Would you actually say that?)
Why it happens: We copy what works for others instead of finding what works for us.
Fix: Start with what works, but inject your own language and quirks. Hey, that rhymed.

4. The Perfectionist Playbook

Sounds like: Everything is polished, professional, perspective- and personality-free.
Why it happens: We get stuck thinking “professional” means “dull as dishwater” and “inoffensive.” But professionals have opinions, too … right?
Fix: Voice your perspectives, hot takes, and opinions (ideally with diplomacy and generosity). This, above all, is what will make others remember and possibly relate to you. Don’t fear the haters. You might be surprised at how many ‘get’ and embrace you.

5. Assumptions, Assumptions

Sounds like: Using insider language without explanation, or otherwise assuming everyone else gets what the heck we’re talking about.
Why it happens: We can occasionally forget what it’s like to be new to, or just visiting, our world.
Fix: Use plain language and write like you spot someone who’s feeling lost. Take even a sentence, or moment, to simply explain your thing.

Recovering and Testing Your Voice: It’s Easier Than You Think

Step 1: Find Your Natural Voice

Exercise: Record yourself explaining your work/project/idea to a friend. Don’t worry about scripting it out. Just talk for a few minutes about what you do and why you love it. Then listen back and notice:

What words and phrases do you actually use?
How do you explain complex things?
What’s your natural rhythm? Short sentences or long? 
What specific examples do you give (or could you use)?
What makes you light up?

This just might be your real voice.

Step 2: Create Your Voice Profile

Ok. I want you to mentally circle the words that feel most like the real you (or jot down your own)…

Tone: Warm | Direct | Playful | Serious | Encouraging | Challenging | Conversational | Inspiring
Style: Story-driven | Straightforward | Metaphor-heavy | Detail-oriented | Big-picture | Question-asking | Example-rich
Energy: Calm | Enthusiastic | Steady | Animated | Thoughtful | Quick | Gentle | Bold

Now pick 3 that feel most authentic to you. This is your voice formula.

Step 3: Apply the Voice Filter

Before publishing anything (especially AI-generated content), ask:

Does this sound like something I’d actually say?
Would my mom, dad or best friend recognize my voice here?
Am I hiding behind jargon, professional or poser-y language?
If I read this out loud to my ideal client or audience, would I cringe?

How to Train Your AI to Sound Like You

Here’s what I’m learning, actively: AI can be incredibly helpful for creating content faster. But it needs to know what your voice sounds like, or you’ll end up with beautifully written content that sounds like everyone else. Plus all the little weird phrases that pop up (from other people regurgitating other people) will start to drive you bonkers. 🫠

For ChatGPT:
Create a custom instruction like this:
“Write in Shannon’s voice: conversational but not casual, warm but direct, encouraging but honest. Use ‘I’ statements and personal examples. Avoid corporate jargon, buzzwords like ‘leverage’ or ‘synergistic,’ and overly formal language. Include short sentences for impact. Sound like talking to a smart friend over an Americano. Use specific examples rather than generic statements.”

For Claude:
Start your conversations with:
“Please write in my authentic voice with these characteristics: [insert your 3 voice characteristics from Step 2]. I naturally speak in [conversational/direct/story-driven] style. I avoid words like [list your never-use words]. When explaining complex things, I typically [use analogies/give examples/break it down step-by-step]. My personality comes through as [warm but honest/playful but professional/etc.].”

The AI Voice Training Process

1. Give it samples of your best writing that feels most like you (I gave my ‘Shanbot’ my whole book, plus everything I like that I’ve written)
2. Be specific about what you don’t want (“Don’t use ‘dive deep,’ ‘game-changer,’ ‘leverage,’or end with stupid generic questions”)
3. Provide REAL examples of how you’d naturally explain your work
4. Always, always edit the output to add your personality back in
5. Save successful prompts for consistent results

And … Create Messaging & Voice Guidelines (The Game-Changer)

There a whole shwack of resources out there on how to specifically train AI in using words and phrases you would and wouldn’t use … but what I’ve discovered is insanely useful is collecting all of that —along with all of your brand’s core messaging —in one single document, and always ensuring that my AI tools are trained in those guidelines.

This is a recent discovery and I am so weirdly excited about it. As an agency, we’ve always developed voice and tone guidelines for our clients, so that our writers and producers are crystal-clear on how their particular client (both words and design) should sound, and come across.

But now I realize I personally need them, as does my agency. Having clear messaging guidelines isn’t just helpful—it’s essential if you want to:

• Brief your AI tools effectively
• Keep your content consistent when you’re tired/rushed/uninspired
• Train team members or contractors
• Stay authentic an on-message for you, uniquely, even when using templates and tools

Your DIY Voice & Messaging Guide Should Include:

I’m working on a new post about exactly how to develop your voice and tone guidelines, and will share a good template soon. In the meantime, start with:

• 3-5 voice characteristics (from your Step 2 exercise)
• Words you love (that feel distinctly you)
• Words you never, ever, want to be caught dead using (goodbye, “synergy”)
• How you explain complex things (stories? analogies? step-by-step?)
• Example sentences in your voice vs. not your voice
• 3-5 deeply held beliefs, or perspectives you or your brand wants to communicate (*this is the juice)
• Your brand purpose, vision, and mission statements
• Any product- or service-specific messages you use often

Creating comprehensive messaging guidelines that actually work (for you AND your AI tools) is trickier than it seems. It’s not just about listing adjectives—it’s about understanding the nuances of how you communicate, what makes your voice distinctly yours, and how to maintain that authenticity across different contexts and platforms.

And that’s exactly why we’ve recently created the Foundational Brand Messaging Sprint. We don’t just identify your voice or brand characteristics. We help you clarify your foundational messaging — what you most want to express about your brand in your communication and content — and document it all for active, iterative use. Because having guidelines that actually guide? That’s the difference between content that sounds like you and content that sounds like everyone else.

The Bottom Line

Your voice and messaging is not something you now need to create from scratch. Rather, it’s something you might need to uncover, clarify, and then protect with your life.

About This Guide

I’m Shannon, and I adore helping purpose-driven leaders uncover and clarify their messaging, to help deliver the confidence and authority to grow their businesses … and impact. Curious about our ‘quick-start’ services like the Foundational Brand Messaging Sprint? Find out if you’re a fit here, or email us directly. We look forward to hearing your voice.