How can you gain confidence as a speaker?
No one minds having conversations with friends, family members and co-workers. We don’t even mind speaking to strangers, but speaking in front of an audience where all eyes are on you is something that most people shy away from. According to the National Institute of Mental Health, public speaking is the number one fear for 75% of the American population. The good news is that speaking is a skill, and like any skill, you can learn it. Here are five ways to become a better professional speaker at the workplace.
1) Practice, Practice, Practice
Have you ever heard somebody sing, or watch someone play sports, and thought, “I know someone who sings or plays better than that,” and then wondered why they’re not more successful than they are? It’s probably because they have a natural ability to do what they do, and so they don’t practice which prevents them from gaining access to the opportunities that will help take them to the next level. You can be the most talented person in the world, but if you don’t practice, you’ll never be successful. Practice is the key to success no matter what you’re trying to achieve. The more you practice, the better you’ll become at it, and the more confidence you’ll have when you’re speaking in the workplace.
2) Record Your Speeches
Recording your speeches and playing them back allows you to hear how your audience hears you. Pay attention to things like the tone and the pitch of your voice, whether you use too many filler words, and whether you’re using the right words to convey your message.
3) Take a Speakers Course
A speaking course will help you fine-tune your speaking ability. As mentioned, speaking is a skill, and there are some people who are better at it than others. By taking a course, you get to fill in the gaps and learn what you didn’t know about speaking.
4) Improve Your Communication Skills
Communication is a skill and the more you learn about it, the better you will become at it. There are several ways to improve your communication skills, these include the following:
· Deeply Listen: When the discussion about improving listening skills is brought up, the focus is typically on active listening, but deep listening is more effective. Deep listening is about connecting with the spirit of what a person is saying as opposed to just hearing what they’re saying.
· Body Language: According to experts, 55% of what we say is subconsciously expressed through our body language. You can unintentionally give off the wrong message if you’re unaware of your body language. You can avoid this by learning the difference between good and bad body language and making a conscious decision to display the body language that gives people the best impression of you.
· Emotional Intelligence (EI): People with high EI connect with people better because they understand them. They tune into emotions and not what is said and communicate with them based on what they can sense. The higher your emotional intelligence, the easier it will be to communicate with others.
5) Speak to More People
Speaking in front of an audience is about stepping out of your comfort zone, and the office is a bit like the school playground where we stick with the people we’re most comfortable with. Although you’re cordial with everyone, there are some work colleagues you don’t say more than, “Hi” to. Additionally, unless your job sends you to another location, in most cases, you’ll be speaking in front of your colleagues. Therefore, developing a relationship with them in advance will make it easier to deliver a presentation in front of them.
If you want to be a better professional speaker at the workplace, apply everything you’ve read in this article, and you will improve. However, without application, there’s no progress and if you want to climb up the corporate ladder, professional speaking is definitely a skill you need to master.
