Communication Methods for Truth Tellers

Hiya, Truth Teller! Connecting to the motivation behind your medium is going to help you feel more aligned in your business and as such, I wanted to start with helping you out with a few communication methods to take your relationship with your clients/customers to the next level. Communication with clients is necessary to setting appropriate expectations, making sure everyone is there for the right reason, and helping you mitigate an unhappy client.

Here are five ways creative truth tellers can communicate more effectively with their clients, using radical honesty & beauty as the motivation:

1. Transparent Storytelling: Share authentic stories from personal experience, showcasing both triumphs and struggles. This builds trust and emotional resonance with clients, letting them see vulnerability as strength. Using the word “AND” instead of “BUT” will be integral in helping your clients hold 2 things as true at the same time: “It can be uncomfortable to look at AND be beautiful at the same time”
   

2. Clarify Intentions Early: Establish clear expectations from the get go. Be upfront about what clients can expect from your creative process, addressing potential challenges with openness to avoid misunderstandings later - just because people are asking for the truth, doesn’t mean they are always ready for it. It’s imperative to have boundaries and very clear expectations.
   

3. Stick with what you know: You don’t have to tell the truth about EVERYTHING or be a mouthpiece for everything. Really focus on the TRUTH that lights you up and brings fire into your work - it can be tempting to step outside of that to include other areas, but that means less time spent on truth telling in the thing you are meant to truth tell about. I had started a FB group for photographers to help them with body image because that’s what I knew about, but I felt pressure to also advocate and talk on topics that I was not an expert on and it nearly burnt me out.
   

4. Showcase Imperfection: Embrace the beauty of imperfection in your work. By showing that flaws can add character and depth, clients can relate better to your approach and see authenticity as a powerful tool. Truth is not perfection and your ideal client will embrace this if you do.
   

5. Align Values: Communicate your core values upfront and connect them to the client’s goals. When honesty is woven into your values, clients will feel more aligned and confident in your shared vision. Have your vision, your values, and your beliefs in your bios, your about pages, and your pillars - this will help people know if they are ready for you or not!

Communicating as a Truth Teller isn’t about being “brutally honest”, it’s about sharing the truth of whatever drives you. This can be the positive reality of certain lived experiences or it can be quietly telling the (asked for!) truth in one on one connections. Clarity is incredibly important for Truth Tellers in regards to their boundaries, their expectations, and their processes so that those who are ready for it can find them and those that aren’t can lurk around until they are!