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You should never be afraid to verbally express yourself. If you are familiar with what it's like to be shy, you know how tough it can be to make your voice heard. Thankfully for most of us, years of experience, creativity, and knowledge can nurture enough confidence to speak with a modicum of tact, humor, insight, and depending on the subject, expertise.

Expressing yourself in writing is different: You can usually edit to your heart's content before sending your message, and writing in general is certainly not the same as having a conversation, since there's no body language and no inflection. Expressing yourself without words (art, music, miming, etc.) is even more subjective; therefore, this article will focus on face-to-face conversation.

== Be Confident ==

Some folks attempt to please everyone all the time, rarely standing up for what they believe in. You may express yourself with incredible compassion, but if you speak with uncertainty, you will turn off everyone around you. It's terribly difficult to respect someone who frequently bows to others' opinions, and thus seems to have no spine.

Don't misunderstand - you may be very amiable, creative, and good-natured, but you may also need a shot of conviction. (Straight up, no ice.) If you're frustrated by your tentative speaking style, you can do something about it. Ask people you trust how you can improve your confidence, or perhaps take a public speaking course like Toastmasters. At the very least, remember that courage comes from faith in yourself.

== Be Honest ==

Honesty is not to be taken lightly, but some people may be afraid of being rejected for their honest opinions. This is a natural human reaction, especially during our formal school years. However, agreeing with a viewpoint that you don't truly believe in is not healthy.

Willingness to speak up confidently about a subject is commendable, to be sure, but if you're blatantly lying just to "fit in" or otherwise be accepted by a group, you're doing yourself a disservice. Sometimes it is easier to simply agree (i.e. compliment someone's hairstyle when you think it's horrid) than to tell your differing opinion, but the more you allow "little white lies" to invade your speech, the more dangerous you become, both to yourself and to those around you. Break the habit.

Be honest with yourself and show integrity in your conversations. Speak your mind graciously and diplomatically. So what if you're ridiculed a bit? Big deal. So what if you can't find the

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