profile

Hi! I'm Jessica Chen, a LinkedIn Top Leadership Voice and Communication Expert

4 things smart people do to succeed at work

Published over 1 year ago • 1 min read

Have you ever looked around to see colleagues, who seem to put in half the effort, get all the recognition and attention just because they talk a lot? Maybe something like this happened at work this week and you thought to yourself: These people have no idea what they’re talking about, but they go on and on as if they do!

The truth is, in many corporate workplaces, there tends to be an emphasis on who speaks the most. It’s called the babble hypothesis. Those who talked a lot were more likely to be seen as leadership material, research has found, regardless of the quality of their ideas.

For those of us who consider ourselves more thoughtful, considerate, and introverted, this reality can be frustrating.

It’s why in “Smart, Not Loud: How to Get Noticed at Work for All the Right Reasons,” I teach smart professionals how to succeed at work and highlight their genius — without needing to be the loudest in the room, especially if that's not your style.

In fact, here are the 4 moves you should think about to get noticed at work:
​
​1. Stop waiting and start sharing
2. Ask for what you want
3. Follow up
4. Celebrate your wins​
​
This was part of a new piece I wrote for CNBC and what I particularly love about it is if you don't consider yourself the loud, dominate, or aggressive type, these four tips are great ways to approach work that's smart, not loud 🚀

P.S. Do you know someone who would love our communication tips? Have them join our community here.

​Book Details: "Smart, Not Loud: How to Get Noticed at Work for All the Right Reasons."

Stay connected with Jessica Chen daily:

​Unsubscribe | Update Preferences​

Hi! I'm Jessica Chen, a LinkedIn Top Leadership Voice and Communication Expert

Former Emmy-Award Winning TV Journalist

I've taught over 2 million people how to improve their speaking skills at work. Join my newsletter and receive weekly tips on how to communicate confidently, develop executive presence, and make an impact. Subscribe now!

Read more from Hi! I'm Jessica Chen, a LinkedIn Top Leadership Voice and Communication Expert

Hi there, Recently, I was facilitating a workshop with a group of managers to build their executive presence at work. I came in to teach stakeholder communication, client engagement, and cross-functional coordination. About 30 minutes in, one woman asked, “How do I build executive presence on a platform like LinkedIn?” Instantly, I smiled. I love teaching this topic—building visibility at work, particularly on LinkedIn—because the strategies to transform your professional profile are actually...

about 1 month ago • 1 min read

Hi! Happy 2026. The beginning of a new year is a great chance to rethink how you'll want this year to be. One of the things I like to do, and often encourage my own family and friends, is to pick one word that'll be your year's word. Mine? Abundance. With so much content, news, and "loudness" in the world, I feel like it's easy to lose sight of what's valuable to us. This causes us to adopt a scarcity mentality where everything feels negative, competitive, harsh, and cold. To me, abundance is...

3 months ago • 1 min read

Hi everyone! We're officially in the holiday season and one of my favorite topics to share, especially during this time, is how to graciously accept a compliment without downplaying yourself. Whether it's at a work party or at a family gathering, figuring out how to respond is actually a skill you can naturally incorporate so it doesn't come across as awkward or clunky. For example, if someone says, “Great job!” and your response is, “Oh, it was nothing," there's actually a smarter way to...

4 months ago • 1 min read