13 Tips for Fresh Graduates to Improve their Public Speaking & Communication Skills in the Workplace.

I train many college students and fresh graduates in Public Speaking & Communication Skills, and the most common thing I hear from them at the beginning of the course is:

"We feel a bit intimidated by all the experienced professionals who surround us in the workplace and by the high expectations they have from us. We are somewhat fearful about handling customer conversations and interacting with senior management confidently. It would be great if our current organization would provide additional training to help us develop certain critical skills and groom our overall personality."

I am sure most fresh graduates can relate to this, but I am here to tell you that you are not unique in feeling this way. Most of us had felt the same way at the start of our careers. It is my sincere hope that this article is beneficial to you.?

If you are a fresh graduate who has recently entered the professional world, please note that Public Speaking & Effective Communication is essential to your success in the professional world. It will help you build healthy self-esteem, improve your ability to communicate effectively with customers and internal stakeholders, form harmonious interpersonal relationships with co-workers in the workplace, and boost your confidence.?

Giving presentations at work can be daunting, but with some practice and preparation, you can develop strong presentation skills that will help you deliver engaging and effective presentations to your colleagues and customers. Here are a few things you should keep in mind:

1. Belief in what you are saying is crucially important. Only if you truly believe in your message, and your company’s offering (product or service) will you feel confident in delivering your message. Also, when it comes to manifesting the right body language during your talk, you need to keep in mind that if you don’t believe in what you are saying, you will become self-conscious and naturally manifest awkward body language.?

2. Know your audience: It's important to tailor your presentation to your audience. Consider who will be attending and what their needs and interests are. This will help you determine what to include in your presentation and how to best structure it.

3. Preparation is important. Be totally absorbed by your subject. Know your material inside and out so that you can confidently deliver your message.

4. Keep it simple: Don't try to cram too much information into your presentation. Keep your slides concise and focus on one key message per slide.

5. Emotionalize the message: When you just get on the platform, your audience doesn’t know you well, and most like will not trust you completely. Therefore, it is important that you first try to establish a connection with your audience and get them to trust you. The only and best way to do it is to emotionalize the message. How do you do that? By wrapping your message in a story. These could be stories about the Founder of the Company you work for, the story behind your company’s brand or product, etc. Stories stimulate the human brain and help engage the audience. It’s one of the best ways to humanize your product or service. Stories help in connecting with the audience on a personal and emotional level.?

When you're telling a story, you're not just reciting facts or promoting your brand—you're engaging your audience's imaginations and emotions. And that's what makes storytelling such a powerful communication tool.

Whether you're trying to sell a product, raise awareness for a cause, or simply entertain your audience, storytelling is an essential skill to master.??

You must find a personal connection to your story. The more personal it is, the more relatable it will be to your audience.?

Make sure your story has a beginning, middle, and end. People love a good narrative arc. Use descriptive language to paint a picture in your audience's mind. Use body language and facial expressions to bring your story to life. Don't be afraid to show emotion. If your story is moving, your audience will be too.

6. Use visuals: People are more likely to remember information that is presented visually. Use rich images and videos to illustrate your points and help your audience understand your message. Your goal should be to touch more than one sense of your audience by creating a multisensory experience through your multimedia presentation. When we use visuals in our presentation, retention goes up manyfold.?

7. Speak at the correct rate. If you want to deliver a presentation that the audience would like to listen to, then you need to speak to them as though you are having a conversation with them.?Not too fast, not too slow.

8. Emphasize the important words in your talk. If you highlight certain important words in your talk, you will be able to convey the intended meaning of your message impactfully.?

9. Pause effectively. Remember, talking does not mean you remove a continuous stream of sound from your mouth. Pausing effectively between a group of words or phrases will enable your audience to understand your message with clarity.?

10. Put inflections in your voice. Make sure to vary your tone and pitch during your talk to avoid sounding robotic. Be expressive and bring out the rhythmic pattern in the English language by stressing the right syllables and words. Modulating your voice during your talk will give your voice a sophisticated touch that will sound very appealing to the listeners.??

11. Body language and hand gestures. While giving a presentation, your body language is just as important as the words you're saying. Using hand gestures will help you convey your strong message even more strongly. Use gestures to mirror the emotions you want your audience to feel. Use open, expansive hand gestures and body language to show that you're confident and in control.?

12. Be professional. This is your workplace, so make sure you are representing yourself and your company in the best light possible.?

13. Practice. You may be extremely knowledgeable about your topic, but if you are not accustomed to sharing what you know with the audience, then it could impair your fluency on the platform. So, “practice” is an essential ingredient in the preparation process. The more you practice, the more confident you'll feel when it comes to delivering your presentation. So, don't wait until the last minute to prepare.?

Practice, Practice, and Practice.

I hope this was helpful.

Thanks and Regards,

PERSEUS UDACHIA

Founder at SupeResources Academy LLP | Personality Development Coach | Mobile: +91 9822290467 | Email: [email protected] | Registered Office: Convent Street, India, Maharashtra, Pune: 411001 | Website: www.superesources.com

About Perseus Udachia:

Perseus Udachia is a certified Soft Skills Trainer and a Licensed Practitioner of Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP). Perseus is an ex-corporate professional who has held several Senior Management positions in his 19-year-old corporate journey. Perseus has made a decision to stay committed to his passion and purpose of transforming the lives of children, teenagers, and young adults around the world by helping them develop healthy Self-esteem & Confidence through his transformational courses, and enabling them to live a focused, successful, joyful, and meaningful life. It is this passion that has given birth to SupeResources Academy LLP.