Voice

The moment the light goes on I always record my coaching sessions. And I transcribe them too. Not out of paranoia, but because I’m listening for something specific: the moment a client’s voice changes. It happens in every session. Someone will be talking about their business in that careful, measured way people use when they’re trying to sound professional. Then I’ll ask the right question. And suddenly, there it is. The spark. The energy shift. The moment they forget to be careful and just… talk. That’s when their real voice comes out. And that’s what I transcribe and show back to them. Because most people have no idea what their voice actually sounds like until someone holds up a mirror. The questions that unlock your voice Here’s what a typical coaching session looks like with me: I don’t ask surface-level questions. I don’t say ‘tell me about your business’ and take notes while you recite your website copy back to me. I probe. I dig. I ask ‘why?’ about five times until we get past the rehearsed answers to the real stuff. You see, you don’t spent 20 years in education without learning how to ask the questions that matter. The ones that get past ‘we offer boutique accommodation’ to ‘I started this because…’ And I keep asking until I see that light in your eye. That’s when I know we’ve hit it.   What this  looks like     Let me give you two real examples. The sheep story I’ve been working with a client recently who runs a rural property. Her pre-coaching homework was pretty bland: describing the area, talking about the scenery, mentioning sheep. Just standard ‘escape to the countryside’ stuff. Could’ve been anywhere. But then I started asking questions. Not about the area but about HER. What she loves. What makes her laugh. What she notices that other people don’t. It turns out that she’s completely obsessed with her sheep. Not in a farming way. In a ‘they all have names and personalities and I could tell you stories about them for hours’ way. The things she came out with were brilliant. Funny. Vivid. Full of personality. One sheep is grumpy. Another is an escape artist. There’s drama. There’s comedy. There are characters. We transcribed all of it. Showed it back to her. And suddenly she could see: THIS is your voice. This warmth. This humour. This is what makes people want to stay with you. Not ‘peaceful countryside setting with local wildlife.’ But ‘meet Derek the sheep, who has opinions about everything.’ The sisters story Another client I worked with manages a property with her sister. From the initial pre-coaching task, you’d hardly know the sister existed. It was all very straight, very sensible, very bland. Then I asked about how they  run the place together. And oh my goodness, the stories that came out. She’s the straight man. Her sister is chaos. They have this hilarious dynamic where things constantly go slightly wrong and they’re both trying to fix it in completely different ways. The WhatsApp exchanges when something breaks. The debates about décor.  It’s a storytelling gift. People don’t just want a place to stay. They want to know who’s on the other end of that booking confirmation. They want to feel like ‘yes, these are my kind of people.’ And THAT voice (the one that comes out when you’re talking about the real stuff) is what creates connection. Why you can’t do this alone Here’s the problem with finding your own voice: you can’t see it. It feels normal to you. You don’t realise what’s unique because it’s just how you talk. You might even actively hide it because you think it’s not ‘professional’ enough. That client with the sheep  thought that stuff wasn’t appropriate for her website. Too silly. Too personal. The sisters thought the chaos was something to hide, not highlight. But that’s exactly what makes them bookable. That’s what makes people choose them over all the other rural cottages and city apartments. To find your voice you need someone who can: Ask the right questions to draw your voice out Recognise it when it appears (because you won’t) Show it back to you so you can see what I’m seeing Give you permission to use it Help you apply it consistently across everything you write That’s what I do. And after 20 years as a teacher and 15+ years as a writer, I’ve got quite good at it. What happens when you find your voice  Finding your voice is only the beginning. Once you can hear it (i.e. once you understand what makes your voice YOUR voice) you need to use it. In your About page. Your welcome emails. Your tour descriptions. Your booking confirmations. Everywhere. That’s the work. And it’s the work most people put off because they’re busy, overwhelmed, don’t know where to start, or are scared of getting it wrong. You’re attracting the wrong kind of guests Maybe you’re getting the ones who question your prices. Grumble about things that don’t matter. Leave lukewarm reviews. Worst of all, don’t see what’s special about the experiences you create. You’ve poured so much thought and care into your place, your tours, your guest experience. So why isn’t your copy showing that? Maybe it’s because you’re trying to speak to everyone and appealing to no one. Maybe your voice wobbles between too formal and too chatty. Maybe you’re attracting interest but not bookings. Here’s what happens when your copy isn’t working You get fewer bookings, or bookings from guests who don’t appreciate your authentic approach. You start to second-guess your pricing. You feel like you’re slipping into the mainstream tourism trap instead of offering something meaningful. Worse still, the work you once loved becomes a headache. Instead of building relationships with guests who get it, you’re fielding complaints and feeling like your business is stuck. But imagine the opposite What if your copy attracted guests who became genuine