Tenderfoot Diaries

I’ve always been an advocate of the indoor voice.

Mostly that was because of constraints of the various jobs I’ve had.  In a lot of ways it has almost become second nature to keep my opinions to myself.  On the Hunt Smart Think Safety Blog, I wrote on behalf of a company.  If I’d spouted off what I really thought about certain issues, I could have negatively impacted the company image, which wouldn’t have been good for the company, or have provided good service to the people who signed my paycheck.   It was easier to just stay neutral and to try to write about the issues that mattered in a relatively noncontroversial way.

When it comes to the Outdoor Bloggers Summit I speak to and sometimes on behalf of 200+ different bloggers.  Almost anything I say that has even a whiff of controversy is probably going to offend or annoy someone.  So, as in my corporate life, it is easier to steer a middle course and not say anything that might really reveal what I think or how I feel regarding certain issues.  It is just simpler that way.

When you write for a company or organization and people read and respond or give weight to what you write, you chalk it up to the fact that you’re writing for a company or organization.  Doing that sort of thing gives you a certain amount of gravitas, even if it is only in your own mind.  It also gives you a certain sense of responsibility.  Someone or some group is giving you a platform and allowing you to speak on their behalf.  You have a duty to represent that company or group in a responsible and proper manner.   It isn’t really a matter of speaking softly and carrying a big stick, it’s more speaking softly and carrying no stick at all.  Creating controversy is the last thing you want.

When I finally got an outdoor blog that was just mine I thought I would be bursting at the seams with opinions.  I could finally say all the stuff I hadn’t said, and express all the opinions I’d left unexpressed for so long.  There are a lot of things I want to say, but now that I could say them, I’m not sure I should say them.   Learning to use my outdoor voice is proving harder than I thought.

I suppose, in the end, all I can do is say what I think and what I feel and let the chips fall where they may.  While I will never be a fan of controversy, I do believe that civilized debate is still possible and can be achieved.  I also think that people should stand up for what they believe and what they know to be right.  I have a platform, and an audience who is willing to listen to what I say, and I still have a responsibility, even if it is only to myself.

I’m lucky enough to have an outdoor voice.

Now I just have to learn to use it.