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Louder than Words: Harness the Power of Your Authentic Voice
The next step in personal effectiveness, by the acclaimed author of The Accidental Creative and Die Empty.
There has never been a better time to build an audience around your idea or product. But with so many people and companies clamoring for attention, it’s also more challenging than ever to do work that deeply resonates with the marketplace and creates true and lasting impact.
According to Todd Henry, the key to standing apart from the noise is to find your unique voice. Those who identify and develop their voices will gain more attention and wield more influence. But first they have to identify what they truly stand for, develop a compelling vision, and become masters of expressing their ideas in whatever media they choose. Henry offers strategies, exercises, and true stories that illustrate the five attributes of resonant work:
• Authenticity: Uncover the narratives that are at the core of your personal and professional identity.
• Uniqueness: Identify what makes your work distinct from that of others, and learn to creatively package and present your message.
• Consonance: Cultivate internal consistency and harmony in your work.
• Empathy: Listen to your audience’s aspirations and struggles to make your message more compelling.
• Timing: Learn how to coordinate your work with ideas that already have cultural momentum.
Making your work speak is a life-long process of trial, error, and realignment. Henry’s audiobook will help listeners build a body of work that resonates deeply and achieves lasting impact.
There has never been a better time to build an audience around your idea or product. But with so many people and companies clamoring for attention, it’s also more challenging than ever to do work that deeply resonates with the marketplace and creates true and lasting impact.
According to Todd Henry, the key to standing apart from the noise is to find your unique voice. Those who identify and develop their voices will gain more attention and wield more influence. But first they have to identify what they truly stand for, develop a compelling vision, and become masters of expressing their ideas in whatever media they choose. Henry offers strategies, exercises, and true stories that illustrate the five attributes of resonant work:
• Authenticity: Uncover the narratives that are at the core of your personal and professional identity.
• Uniqueness: Identify what makes your work distinct from that of others, and learn to creatively package and present your message.
• Consonance: Cultivate internal consistency and harmony in your work.
• Empathy: Listen to your audience’s aspirations and struggles to make your message more compelling.
• Timing: Learn how to coordinate your work with ideas that already have cultural momentum.
Making your work speak is a life-long process of trial, error, and realignment. Henry’s audiobook will help listeners build a body of work that resonates deeply and achieves lasting impact.
224 pages, Hardcover
First published August 11, 2015
130 people are currently reading
1669 people want to read
About the author
Todd Henry
14 books304 followersTodd Henry teaches leaders and organizations how to establish practices that lead to everyday brilliance. He is the author of seven books (The Accidental Creative, Die Empty, Louder Than Words, Herding Tigers, The Motivation Code, Daily Creative, The Brave Habit) which have been translated into more than a dozen languages, and he speaks and consults across dozens of industries on creativity, leadership, and passion for work.With more than fifteen million downloads, his podcast offers weekly tips for how to stay prolific, brilliant, and healthy.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 55 reviews
September 5, 2015
Where I got the book: Audiobook from Audible.
This was a bit of an impulse buy because it was recommended by a blogger I trust, but for me it was the right book at the right time. I’ve been doing a lot of work on the B-word, branding, lately, because I’m at the point in my writing business where I’m beginning to get a grip on who I am as a writer and what I’m interested in. More than just a marketing effort, this whole branding thing is an attempt to communicate clearly to my audience(s) and ensure that neither I nor they are wasting their time.
And that, really, is what this book is about. It’s written in the “authority style” popular in the self-help category, but for all that there’s a lot of human in there. Henry provides some exercises (which I didn’t do because, audiobook) and tips to help you figure out what really matters to you, what sets you apart from the next guy, and then communicate this both to the world at large and to any team you happen to be working with.
That word “authentic” has become way, way overused, to the point where it’s now suspect, but Henry is definitely advocating authenticity. Don’t try to be someone you’re not, listen to your audience rather than make the whole thing about you, and never, never, sell out your team.
He lost me a bit in the last part of the book, which was aimed at applying what he was teaching to the corporate world. Because the corporate world and I are dead to each other, I sincerely hope. Been there, done that, got the knives sticking out of my back, thanks. But before that—and especially in the first half or so—I was listening enthusiastically and nodding my head. I’ll probably listen to that first half again at some point, and would buy another of his books. So all good! Narration by Jeff Cummings was standard Authority Voice, well suited to its subject and not in the least annoying.
This was a bit of an impulse buy because it was recommended by a blogger I trust, but for me it was the right book at the right time. I’ve been doing a lot of work on the B-word, branding, lately, because I’m at the point in my writing business where I’m beginning to get a grip on who I am as a writer and what I’m interested in. More than just a marketing effort, this whole branding thing is an attempt to communicate clearly to my audience(s) and ensure that neither I nor they are wasting their time.
And that, really, is what this book is about. It’s written in the “authority style” popular in the self-help category, but for all that there’s a lot of human in there. Henry provides some exercises (which I didn’t do because, audiobook) and tips to help you figure out what really matters to you, what sets you apart from the next guy, and then communicate this both to the world at large and to any team you happen to be working with.
That word “authentic” has become way, way overused, to the point where it’s now suspect, but Henry is definitely advocating authenticity. Don’t try to be someone you’re not, listen to your audience rather than make the whole thing about you, and never, never, sell out your team.
He lost me a bit in the last part of the book, which was aimed at applying what he was teaching to the corporate world. Because the corporate world and I are dead to each other, I sincerely hope. Been there, done that, got the knives sticking out of my back, thanks. But before that—and especially in the first half or so—I was listening enthusiastically and nodding my head. I’ll probably listen to that first half again at some point, and would buy another of his books. So all good! Narration by Jeff Cummings was standard Authority Voice, well suited to its subject and not in the least annoying.
September 12, 2015
Didn't finish it. Good content, just too dry for me. Too many other books calling my name ... not sure why I lost interest.
August 5, 2018
Eye-opening and inspirational. I took a lot of notes and have been mulling things. I finally had a breakthrough after months and months. I'm so glad this book found me at the right time.
February 7, 2020
A must for all professionals
Recommended by a Distinguished Principal Engineer this book offers ideas about finding your voice. Great insights and exercises that will help you reveal and share your authentic self with the rest of the world
Recommended by a Distinguished Principal Engineer this book offers ideas about finding your voice. Great insights and exercises that will help you reveal and share your authentic self with the rest of the world
July 16, 2018
I'm having a heyday with self improvement especially when it comes to growing who I am, especially professionally. This one again did something for me. All-told, I used a pad of Post-its and had over thirty pictures of pieces of the text taken to remember and refer back to as I ponder more deeply and do some work around some recommendations and topics to consider.
This one focuses on understanding who you are and what you stand for in creating a manifesto for yourself-- who you'd like to be, the risks you'd like to take, and when you begin to share and really do the work, remembering things like who you're doing it for and the natural progression of the work to recalibrate, work in a team, redefine yourself, etc.
Chinese proverb: "Those who say it cannot be done should not interrupt the people doing it."
Jon Acuff: "Don't compare your beginning to someone else's middle."
"I've come to learn that rejection is an opinion," Jiang said of his experience. He said that it's only when we allow it to become an objective statement about our self-worth that rejection holds any power over us.
This one focuses on understanding who you are and what you stand for in creating a manifesto for yourself-- who you'd like to be, the risks you'd like to take, and when you begin to share and really do the work, remembering things like who you're doing it for and the natural progression of the work to recalibrate, work in a team, redefine yourself, etc.
Chinese proverb: "Those who say it cannot be done should not interrupt the people doing it."
Jon Acuff: "Don't compare your beginning to someone else's middle."
"I've come to learn that rejection is an opinion," Jiang said of his experience. He said that it's only when we allow it to become an objective statement about our self-worth that rejection holds any power over us.
September 13, 2015
I might as well rename my blog "cover first, blurb later" because for whatever reason I thought this was a self help book for introverts when I initially won it from Goodreads.
Well, it is self help, just for business type people like bloggers and writers and the like.
Obviously this book applies to me as a former writer and current blogger, so I was interested. There was a little repetition, but not so much that it was cumbersome or patronizing.
Did it change my life? no. Was I picking it up every spare second to read it? No. But I didn't exactly hate it either, and I think that's the real tragedy here-- this book was simply unremarkable. And unfortunately, despite being "willing to offend" like the book advises, not everyone is ready to find out that their authentic voice is forgettable.
Well, it is self help, just for business type people like bloggers and writers and the like.
Obviously this book applies to me as a former writer and current blogger, so I was interested. There was a little repetition, but not so much that it was cumbersome or patronizing.
Did it change my life? no. Was I picking it up every spare second to read it? No. But I didn't exactly hate it either, and I think that's the real tragedy here-- this book was simply unremarkable. And unfortunately, despite being "willing to offend" like the book advises, not everyone is ready to find out that their authentic voice is forgettable.
September 23, 2015
Excellent book, loved it. I have read it carefully and even took notes. This book I would recommend to everyone who has an instinct and drive to achieve an inner strength. I paint, draw, and write. But I get discouraged easily. Inside me I have a need to do these things and for some reason I stop them. This book has given me understanding to become strong in the knowledge of how to succeed. I love this book.
June 14, 2021
For a long time, as a creator, I knew exactly who my target audience was and how to reach them. I self-published books, grew a YouTube channel, and made other content specifically to help people and loved ones when it comes to mental health and addiction issues. While that’s still a primary goal of mine, I’ve grown and learned a lot, and my content has evolved. Since doing this, I feel like I’ve lost my voice, and I’m not sure who I’m trying to reach, specifically. I’ve been sitting on this book from Todd Henry for a few months and finally gave it a read, and it’s incredible. This is a must-read for creatives as it not only discusses finding your authentic voice, but he has a ton of practical advice and tools that can benefit every type of creator out there. Henry also discusses some of the self-doubts we all face, and what we can do about it. I really appreciated this book as it was exactly what I needed to hear at this point in my creative journey, and I look forward to reading it again in the future.
March 18, 2019
So far this year I’ve been focused on reading books that push me to do some action. I was expecting this book to have many more exercises about journaling or keeping track of my daily activities. However, I found this book very informative and well-articulated. Todd did an amazing job at explaining what the basics are on how to find your inner voice but moreover how to put all the pieces together to actually have a fulfilled life.
This is a book that I will take the time to read again in the future and I will encourage potential reader of this book to answer the questions that Todd asked in his book.
This is a book that I will take the time to read again in the future and I will encourage potential reader of this book to answer the questions that Todd asked in his book.
October 2, 2020
I love this book. Todd Henry writes with an informative, subtle voice that nudges you into action. The book is full of interesting stories as well as great tips for productivity. If you are struggling to find your voice, whether you are a writer or other type of creative, this book is perfect for you. He dives deep into the pool understanding what makes creatives create - motivation, skill, mastery, and pitfalls, as well as some great actionable tips. His words are encouraging without ever being pushy or preachy. This book is great!
August 19, 2022
Inspiring book! Reading it felt like sitting in the audience of a small amphitheatre while the writer was up there on the stage, introducing one story after another about people who succeeded in crafting their unique paths in music, publishing, or real estate.
What I liked most was the structured guidance toward the three building blocks of finding your unique voice as a creator: identity, mastery and vision.
An energising wake-up call for creative souls who deep down are bored with their work.
What I liked most was the structured guidance toward the three building blocks of finding your unique voice as a creator: identity, mastery and vision.
An energising wake-up call for creative souls who deep down are bored with their work.
September 24, 2018
This book just did not resonate with me. I wanted it to. I like the premise. It's well written and well researched. But it just couldn't sustain my attention because the concepts are over done. An in-depth article would have sufficed just fine to illustrate the author's point. I DNR'd this as a result. I have too many other books waiting in my TBR pile to waste my time slogging through this one.
March 9, 2019
A great book for anyone wanting to figure out where to start on an entrepreneurial project! The book intersects creativity with business and community. It gave me a lot of practical steps and pointers to follow to move from creating in my hobby room, to having strategies to share my creative work with others.
December 24, 2019
A how-to guide to seeing a creative project through to its completion. This book found me at the right time, as I took pages of notes from my reading and continue to mull over how I can apply some of these tactics to my current work.
July 27, 2020
I read this following Lisa Congdon's book on the same topic - this book takes more of a business/marketing perspective and provides a lot of prompts and questions for consideration. I will be returning to this book to reference all of the various questions.
April 5, 2021
Definitely a useful book in helping identify Who you are, where you are going and how to get there in having a plan. Your work no matter what it is should be a way for you influence others and make a lasting impact.
May 18, 2017
Awesome content, well written. Endless notes were taken :)
April 7, 2018
Some really good tips.
April 23, 2019
A reason to believe in your authentic voice
January 27, 2020
3,5 ster.
March 20, 2020
This book has already hit home and I think it will continue to be an inspiration and helpful resource for continuing my creative work.
Highly recommend!
Highly recommend!
December 28, 2020
If you want to create a project, this book contains certain advices in order to improve your skills.
July 7, 2021
I listened to the audio and it just kind of washed over me without me taking much in. the book was highly recommended to me, and I'll give it another chance. Maybe just the wrong time and/or format.
Read
March 1, 2023Overlaps with "The Accidental Creative," but that's not a bad thing. This one inspires, and the "Accidental" outlines the WORK.
dropped
September 26, 2023Shallow.
June 13, 2025
Loved the lessons here, the meat of this book is what’s really important. Author takes a lot of teachings from various Robert Greene books like Mastery
April 28, 2016
A book about finding your voice. These are the thoughts I'm still thinking about...
"If you examine the most contributive, impactful, and ultimately influential people throughout history, the one thing that clearly sets them apart is their unique voice. They had developed a personal expression that distanced them from their peers and put them in a field of their own. Their body of work speaks loudly about who they are and what they value. Louder, even, than in words."
"The goal of developing an authentic voice isn't self-gratification, it's cultivating a greater ability to mobilize others toward a goal or objective, and in so doing achieve the impact you desire."
"Unfortunately, many people spend the bulk of their time trying to figure out how to grow their platform (their sphere of influence), but neglect the much more critical process of developing their voice."
"A strong, authentic, compelling voice is the expression of identity, guided by vision, and achieved through mastery."
"The better we understand the hurdles that stand in our way, the better equipped we will be to tap into the practices that will aid us in countermanding them."
"If you want to do unique, contributive work, and develop your voice, you must have the courage to offend."
"No matter how successful you are, or how skillful you may be, stretching beyond your comfort zone will mean feeling 'less than' for a time."
"It's so much easier to coast on your existing skills and knowledge than to risk the appearance of incompetence that often comes with trying new things."
"Don't compare your beginning to someone else's middle."
"For your voice to resonate, it must be rooted in authenticity and uniqueness."
"Whenever possible, think of a specific person. Who is the one individual who perfectly epitomizes the reason you're creating the work? If there was one person who would most benefit from what you're making, who would it be? Craft your work for that person."
"I believe that you will find it challenging to be an effective, leader, manager, or creator, if you lack empathy for your audience."
"If you examine the most contributive, impactful, and ultimately influential people throughout history, the one thing that clearly sets them apart is their unique voice. They had developed a personal expression that distanced them from their peers and put them in a field of their own. Their body of work speaks loudly about who they are and what they value. Louder, even, than in words."
"The goal of developing an authentic voice isn't self-gratification, it's cultivating a greater ability to mobilize others toward a goal or objective, and in so doing achieve the impact you desire."
"Unfortunately, many people spend the bulk of their time trying to figure out how to grow their platform (their sphere of influence), but neglect the much more critical process of developing their voice."
"A strong, authentic, compelling voice is the expression of identity, guided by vision, and achieved through mastery."
"The better we understand the hurdles that stand in our way, the better equipped we will be to tap into the practices that will aid us in countermanding them."
"If you want to do unique, contributive work, and develop your voice, you must have the courage to offend."
"No matter how successful you are, or how skillful you may be, stretching beyond your comfort zone will mean feeling 'less than' for a time."
"It's so much easier to coast on your existing skills and knowledge than to risk the appearance of incompetence that often comes with trying new things."
"Don't compare your beginning to someone else's middle."
"For your voice to resonate, it must be rooted in authenticity and uniqueness."
"Whenever possible, think of a specific person. Who is the one individual who perfectly epitomizes the reason you're creating the work? If there was one person who would most benefit from what you're making, who would it be? Craft your work for that person."
"I believe that you will find it challenging to be an effective, leader, manager, or creator, if you lack empathy for your audience."
December 12, 2019
If you are looking for something inspiring that will awe you and change the way you look at the world. Keep looking, this isn't it. If you are looking for something immensely practical that has the potential to change how you live in your world, this is for you.
This book is only as good as you let it be. It isn't profound. It isn't mind-bending, but it most definitely can be habit-forming or changing. In many ways, this book felt to me like the follow up for Accidental Creative. That book shared the idea that most "aha" moments of creative brilliance are actually the product of years of preparation and learning and practice and just plain hard work. This book. This book is the "how-to" as far as that preparation and learning and practice is concerned.
Every chapter includes things like reflective questions and habit ideas that if done and applied can really influence how and why we do what we do. Some of them I already ask and do, others are new and enlightening for me. If someone were to simply read beyond these without actually slow down and do them (or apply them as fits best in their life and schedule) then they will probably be rating this book only 2 or three stars. I cannot imagine any other reason why anyone and everyone would not consider this book a great investment of their time for their life.
This book is only as good as you let it be. It isn't profound. It isn't mind-bending, but it most definitely can be habit-forming or changing. In many ways, this book felt to me like the follow up for Accidental Creative. That book shared the idea that most "aha" moments of creative brilliance are actually the product of years of preparation and learning and practice and just plain hard work. This book. This book is the "how-to" as far as that preparation and learning and practice is concerned.
Every chapter includes things like reflective questions and habit ideas that if done and applied can really influence how and why we do what we do. Some of them I already ask and do, others are new and enlightening for me. If someone were to simply read beyond these without actually slow down and do them (or apply them as fits best in their life and schedule) then they will probably be rating this book only 2 or three stars. I cannot imagine any other reason why anyone and everyone would not consider this book a great investment of their time for their life.
July 18, 2018
Once again, Todd Henry has written a unique perspective on how we can find our voice in the midst of a noisy world. I devoured Todd's previous two previous books, The Accidental Creative and Die Empty. In this volume, he inspired me to not follow the crowd but to have a vision for finding meaning in doing my own unique work. He encouraged my unique contribution to the world.
Todd's Accidental Creative podcast sign off line is, "Remember, cover bands don't change the world. You have to find your unique voice to thrive." In this book, he gives us practical advice on how to do that. His tone was that of an encouraging friend or coach. This book came along just when I needed it.
One quote that stands out to me is early in the book when he says, "If you want to do unique contributive work and develop your voice, you must have the courage to offend." If you are looking for someone to be in your corner as you go about speaking in your voice to the world, I heartily recommend this book!
Todd's Accidental Creative podcast sign off line is, "Remember, cover bands don't change the world. You have to find your unique voice to thrive." In this book, he gives us practical advice on how to do that. His tone was that of an encouraging friend or coach. This book came along just when I needed it.
One quote that stands out to me is early in the book when he says, "If you want to do unique contributive work and develop your voice, you must have the courage to offend." If you are looking for someone to be in your corner as you go about speaking in your voice to the world, I heartily recommend this book!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 55 reviews