As a successful CEO, you are going to need to start establishing yourself as a well-respected authority within your industry and nothing does this better than public speaking. Whether you are attending major conferences or speaking on the stages of TED, you will need to learn how to make your presence known and command the stage.
One reason so many executives have ventured down this path is because they are finding that it is a great way to quickly establish your reputation. It is widely known that people do business with those from who they know, like, and trust, and public speaking is a great way to establish this trinity effect. If you have been considering exploring public speaking for your business, here are some tips that can help you improve these skills.
Learning To Speak Effectively
Learning to speak more effectively can help you at work, at home, and socially. Not everyone communicates well and if you are one of those people, it can be very frustrating for yourself and for those around you. However, learning what the problem is the first step in learning how to solve it.
For some major business leaders, self awareness is the first step in becoming a better speaker. It’s going to be critical that you invest some time in practicing certain skills and then being honest with yourself about where you will need improvement.
A Distracting Voice
If people find your voice amusing or distracting, it is not only embarrassing for you, but it also detracts from the points you are trying to get across. People may not take you or what you have to say as seriously as you would like them to. If you speak in the wrong pitch, your voice may make you sound like you are a different gender or from a different age group. You may also have a nasal-sounding voice as if you were speaking out of your nose. If you have a regional accent that others think is silly or even charming, they may not pay as much attention to what you have to say as they do to the way that you say it.
Also, if you allow your voice to make your emotions apparent, this can be a huge distraction or frustration to those that you are speaking to.
An Inaudible Voice
You may be someone who has to repeat what they say quite often. If this is you, there are several possible causes. “It could be that you mumble or have a soft voice” says business coach Chris Adams of the Coaching Institute. “On the other hand, you may speak too often, too loudly, or in the wrong pitch and this may cause you to lose your voice before the end of the day.” Another possibility is that a foreign accent keeps people from understanding what you are saying. A distracting or inaudible voice is an even bigger hindrance if you are in the public eye or desire to be.
Stage Fright
Another problem would be stage fright. In order to be a good public speaker you must practice and learn to speak in front of a crowd with fortitude. In order to make a good impression on your boss or others who have control over your career’s advancement, you need to make sure that you can communicate and speak in public with clarity.
Even if public speaking is not an important part of your career, it is good to speak so that others can understand you. As a real estate agent, you are selling yourself and when people buy a house, they are also buying you. This is why it’s important that you learn how to communicate effectively and develop your presentation skills.
