Mastering Your Leadership Voice: Dr. Laura Sicola on Brand, Authenticity, and Leading in a Virtual World

Leaders spend a lot of time thinking about what they say—but not nearly enough time thinking about how they say it. In this episode of the Leadership Vision Podcast, we sit down with Dr. Laura Sicola, cognitive linguist, executive communication coach, and author of Speaking to Influence, to explore what it really takes to communicate with presence, clarity, and impact.

Across a wide-ranging conversation, we dive into the relationship between brand, authenticity, and virtual leadership—and how small choices in language and delivery can completely change how others experience you.

Brand as a Promise: Why Your Leadership Voice Shapes Your Identity

Most leaders underestimate the power of their personal brand. Laura offers one of the clearest definitions we’ve heard:

“A brand is the promise of an experience, and the experience of a promise consistently delivered.”

Whether you realize it or not, you’re making a promise every time you communicate. If you don’t intentionally shape it? It will shape itself for you.

We often assume our expertise speaks for itself—but in leadership, being smart is table stakes. What people want to know is:

• What will it feel like to work with you?
• What do you consistently bring into a room?
• What makes your presence and voice uniquely valuable?

This is where your leadership voice becomes the foundation of your brand.

Your “Prismatic Voice”: Authenticity Without Rigidity

One of the most powerful ideas in our conversation is Laura’s concept of the prismatic voice—the idea that authenticity isn’t a single, fixed way of being.

Just as a prism refracts light into different colors, leaders have multiple facets they can choose to bring forward depending on context.

“Authenticity must be flexible and adaptable—or it’s just rigidity, and rigidity can’t grow.”

This helps dismantle the false binary many leaders hold between being:

• strong or kind
• authoritative or approachable
• confident or relatable

In reality, great leadership is rarely either/or. It’s the ability to expand your range without losing your integrity.

Escaping Binary Thinking

Laura notes that much of today’s leadership struggle stems from the brain’s natural urge to collapse complexity into binaries:

• always / never
• strong / weak
• right / wrong
• my side / your side

These words sneak into our language and quietly shape how others perceive us.

Helping leaders break those patterns often starts by simply mirroring back their own absolutes—“always,” “never,” “everyone,” “no one”—and inviting them to challenge whether those statements are actually true.

This shift creates space for nuance, empathy, and deeper understanding—skills crucial for team culture and psychological safety.

Communicating in a Virtual World: Why Small Details Matter

Virtual leadership has amplified the gaps in how leaders communicate. Without the energy of the room, leaders must work harder to:

• read the room
• generate engagement
• create emotional connection
• ensure shared understanding

And the surprising place Laura starts?

Your microphone.

“When sound is hard to parse, you create a cognitive processing burden for the listener.”

If people have to work to understand you, they won’t.

• They’ll multitask.
• They’ll tune out.
• They’ll drift.

This makes high-quality audio—and intentional pacing—more important than ever.

She also emphasizes:

• setting clear expectations around camera use
• managing hybrid meetings with intentional inclusivity
• being explicit about participation norms
• keeping attention by speaking with energy and variation in tone

Leaders can no longer rely on presence alone. They must command the screen the same way they once commanded a room.

Fear of Public Speaking Isn’t What You Think

Laura reframes a universal leadership barrier:

“It’s not a fear of public speaking. It’s a fear of public judgment.”

Leaders hold back not because they can’t speak—but because they fear how they’ll be perceived. Yet leadership requires taking the risk of speaking up.

“If people don’t know what you stand for,” she notes, “why would they follow you?”

Courage in communication is an essential ingredient of trust.

Practical Steps to Start Mastering Your Leadership Voice

Here are a few of Laura’s most actionable takeaways:

1. Define 3–5 qualities you want others to perceive in you.

Only one can be a synonym for “smart.” The rest must reflect the experience of you!

2. Pay attention to absolutes in your language.

Replace “always,” “never,” “everyone,” and “no one” with concrete examples.

3. Flex your prismatic voice.

Different contexts need different facets of you. Flexibility is not inauthentic—it’s skilled.

4. Upgrade your audio.

Clear sound dramatically increases attention and credibility.

5. Set expectations in virtual or hybrid meetings.

Don’t assume engagement. Ask for it. Define it. Lead it.

Why This Conversation Matters

Whether you lead a team of five or influence thousands, your voice is one of the most powerful tools you have. And as Laura reminds us, communication isn’t just a skill—it’s an identity.

Our conversation with Dr. Laura Sicola is an energizing, practical reminder that leadership begins with how we show up, how we sound, and how we help people experience us—every time we speak.