Whenever I help bloggers improve the quality of their blogging, I’m always met with a small amount of resistance. I tell bloggers to write with authority. And the resistance is that they don’t want to appear arrogant. “How can I write with authority? I’m not necessarily an expert on this topic…”
So they add caveats to their posts. “I’m no expert…” “I may be completely wrong…” “…Not that you would care what I think.”
They think this makes them seem humble. Instead, it keeps people from reading on.
Listen. I don’t want to hear what a non-expert has to say on any topic. If you believe you could be completely wrong, why would I listen to you. I only listen to people who strongly hold their convictions and views. Even if I disagree with you, I respect the fact that you fight for what you believe in.
But then I have other friends who speak with such arrogance—almost too much authority—that it turns me off completely. I don’t want to give in to their ego, so I refuse to read.
What makes the difference between these two? I’m so glad you asked.
Both people come from a position of confidence. But the arrogant writer/speaker focuses on themselves. They are the expert. They know what they’re talking about. You really should listen to them. They spend most of their time defending themselves instead of defending their beliefs.
The one who writes/speaks with authority, though, cares about the information and about the audience. They care about the audience enough to share what they’re sharing. They want to defend the information because they love the audience. They don’t care if the audience likes or dislikes them, they only care that they get the information.
It seems love is the secret sauce here.
So a little encouragement. Speak with authority. Write with authority. And do it with love.
[Blog photo from Mopho.to]
Loved this!!!