Speaking Better: 10 Ideas

Speaking is not easy whether it’s to a few people, a team of 10, or a larger audience of 100+.

Even professional speakers will often voice their feelings of nervousness in the build-up to going on stage, and they have carried out 100s of speeches in their time. You are not alone, we all struggle with this.

If you haven’t already, you know what to do:

After focusing on this area for several years (and I have still got work to do), I wanted to share 10 ideas I have come across to help you speak and communicate more effectively:

1) Subject matter expert - if you are speaking on a topic, be as knowledgeable in that area as possible. You want to get to a point where you could easily talk for 20-30 minutes on your chosen subject when your speech is only 10 minutes. This will give you tremendous confidence as you know you have plenty to talk about in the bank. You’re not relying on a very limited and rehearsed speech. You speak from the heart as they say.

2) Material - do not attempt to memorise the whole speech or the point you are trying to make. Bad idea. Instead, use bullet points as reminders for the areas you need to hit on. It may feel comfortable knowing it word for word, but it sounds so robotic and unauthentic. And when you forget that line or your mind goes blank, you will stall and panic.

3) Avoid disclaimers - we all do this. “This might be a silly question” or “Sorry if this comes off the wrong way”. Remove them. Statements like this decrease the value of what you’re saying. Just say exactly what you’re saying without disclaimers.

4) Eliminate fillers - remove filler words from your sentences. This is a true way to improve your speaking and delivery.

some examples:

• “due to the fact”

• "like”

• “kind of”

• “essentially”

• “basically”

• “erm”

This is not easy, but when you’re intentional about it and you observe, you notice.

5) Vocabulary - see the resources below for Baron’s words. Start increasing your vocabulary now. You’ll want to work on articulating your message in a way that people understand it, can absorb it and feel inspired. You will become a more effective communicator if you can lean on different types of words for different situations. For example, rather than saying “The delivery of this product has had loads of issues.”, try this more positive and diplomatic approach. “We have definitely seen a few challenges with the delivery of our new product, but we’re confident this is heading in the right direction with some small tweaks”. Same thing big difference with more positive word choice.

6) Practise, practise, practise - repetition is indeed the mother of skill. Imagine the difference between your 1st attempt and your 50th. With a ton of adjustments and iterations, you will begin to see a day and night difference from when you first started. You have to practise.

7) Feedback - like anything in life, get feedback from a mentor, a peer, or a speaking coach. If you really want to accelerate your improvement in any area, get specific feedback on the areas that need some work. Be open to critical feedback, it’s a gift that is helping you get better and better. Why be content with version 2 of yourself when you could be at version 10?

8) Silence - this is a powerful thing. When you make a point or ask a question, pause. As uncomfortable as it is, it has a big impact on the message. Avoid the rush to say the next thing.

9) Use PREP: Point, Reason, Example and Point Summary.

Point: I think we should hire in October above our headcount need.

Reason: Because it will take time to train people ahead of the busy period of January.

Example: When we waited last year until December, it left us short and our team were not trained.

Point Summary: To avoid the pain of last year and the impact on the team and our customers, we should hire in October so we’re ready for January.

10) Join Toastmasters - link in the resources below. People join Toastmasters not because they are great speakers, they join to become great speakers. I joined my local club and haven’t looked back. Alongside a pathways development plan, if you join as a member, there are bi-weekly club meetings to work on your public speaking in a safe and supportive environment.

Before I started focusing on this area I did not speak up in large meetings and struggled to articulate my point. But just like every soft skill, you have to work on it and continue to work on it. And by working on it, I don’t mean just in your spare time or behind closed doors, I mean actively hunting down opportunities and knocking on doors to exhibit those skills on a public platform where you feel stretched and uncomfortable.

Once I started to push myself and speak up in meetings more and share my thoughts on things, I began to build more confidence in this area. Speaking up in large audiences is a confidence-building vitamin. Try some today.

Public speaking has a profound effect on your belief system. If you can overcome this you can genuinely tackle anything.

All the best

David

Resources Of The Week

• Vocabulary List - Baron’s 1500-word list. If you want to develop your vocabulary and build more confidence in your ability to speak, start focusing on learning 15-20 new words every week.

• Book - Talk like TED. Some of the secrets to the success of the TED Talks revealed. Ted talks have redefined the elements of a successful presentation and become the gold standard for public speaking around the world.

• YouTube Video - Simon Sinek - How Great Leaders Inspire Action. This is a classic speech from Simon on how leaders inspire action by starting with Why.

• Organisation - Toastmasters - Toastmasters is a global education company promoting communication, public speaking and leadership. There are clubs you can join all over the world.

Quote of the Week

Last week’s issue: Preventing problems, rather than solving problems

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