Showing Your Work Authentically: What We Taught, and Why It Matters

Written by Mariam Bamehriz – Communications Coordinator

In our recent workshop on authentic professional presence online, we approached social media not as a vanity stage but as a practical system: algorithms, formats, and habits that—used thoughtfully—can broaden impact, credibility, and opportunity. The session followed a non-formal education format with breakout tasks and peer discussion, keeping the focus on practice over theory.

Why share your work at all?

If you want to be found, you must be findable. Colleagues, partners, and funders make decisions based on what they can see. Regularly documenting projects, methods, and lessons learned creates a public trace of competence that can open doors you didn’t know were there. Writing (even short captions) also clarifies thinking: you refine positions, sharpen language, and build confidence through repetition.

For organizations, staff posting about their work extends reach and trust. Platforms typically surface content from individuals more than from institutional pages, and people engage more readily with people than logos. Thoughtful personal posting can therefore amplify the organization’s agenda—so long as it shares value, not just promotion.

How social platforms really work

Most platforms monetize attention through ads. That shapes distribution: business accounts often need paid reach, while consistent, compelling individual posts can travel further organically. A few universal rules follow:

• Consistency beats bursts. A steady cadence outperforms sporadic flurries.

• Hook fast. You have seconds—sometimes less—to earn a pause. Lead with a clear visual or first line that states the “why” immediately.

• Tell a story. Information informs; stories stick. Frame your post around a challenge, action, and outcome.

• Use visuals intentionally. Images and short clips carry more information, faster, than text alone.

• Review and repeat what works. Look back at posts that performed; was it the format, the timing, the topic, or the opening line? Recreate the pattern, not the exact post.

Authenticity without oversharing

“Authentic” doesn’t mean “everything.” Share thoughtfully: show process, decisions, and lessons rather than private details. A helpful mental shift is from “look at me” to “look at this.” You’re curating ideas, not performing a persona. Small, consistent actions—notes from the field, one slide from a deck, a before/after, a short reflection—compound into visible expertise over time.

Choosing your platform and format

Different channels reward different behaviors, but most content falls into five useful types:

1. Educational/Inspirational: explainers, how-tos, reflections that teach or motivate.

2. Behind the Scenes: the real process—drafts, setups, fieldwork.

3. Help Content: FAQs, checklists, templates, links to tools.

4. Fun/Lightweight: trends or moments that humanize your work (used sparingly and on-brand).

5. Direct Ask (“Sale”): recruit, register, donate—balanced by the four types above.

Start where you already spend time. If you scroll a platform daily, you understand its tone and pace—use that familiarity. Pick one content type to master first.

Practising critical judgment

Our breakout tasks surfaced two important reflections. First, algorithms are gatekeepers: timely, relatable content travels further because platforms reward engagement. Second, leaving platforms is hard for many users due to constant novelty, social belonging, and fear of missing out—so creators carry a responsibility to design for value, not compulsion. A disciplined mix of the five content types—and a bias for clarity over clickbait—helps maintain that standard.

Professional and civic impact

Thoughtful posting can shift narratives. When complex rulings or technical topics are misreported, concise expert posts can help press and policymakers find the fuller story. That’s the civic upside of visible, credible practitioners online.

A simple workflow you can adopt tomorrow

1. Document while you work (notes, photos, one sentence per day).

2. Choose one platform and one content type to start.

3. Post weekly for six weeks with a clear opening line and a purposeful visual.

4. Review analytics (or simple signals like saves and replies) and iterate.

5. Codify your patterns: save your best hooks, formats, and posting times.

Authenticity is a practice, not a mood. By showing your work with clarity and intention—consistently, visually, and with genuine utility—you expand your opportunities, strengthen your organization’s credibility, and contribute meaningfully to the conversations that shape your field.