DOUBLE YOUR PERSONAL POWER BY MASTERING ONE SKILL

In any organization, power moves automatically to those who have mastered the art of persuasion, and we all know someone like that. Plus, we all want to be like that. Whether you express yourself online, on the phone, or in person doesn’t matter much. What matters is your ability to convince people that your ideas are beneficial to them.

Think about the world’s richest and most inspiring people. Think about Warren Buffett, Donald Trump and Bill Gates. They have intelligence, ambition, good instincts and they work hard. But they are also articulate speakers. That is the source of their power.

Speaking well is considered the number one reason for career growth. Every time you meet with a client or make a presentation, your image is affected-good or bad.

Woodrow Wilson understood the importance of communicating effectively. He began his career as a reserved political science professor with a flowery speaking style. When he decided to go into politics, he endeavored to become a skillful lecturer. By the time he delivered his inaugural speech as the 28th President of the United States, it was said that “Not since Lincoln has there been a president so wonderfully gifted in the art of expression.”

Michael Kazin of the Washington Post writes that persuasive speaking skills have helped many of America’s most influential Presidents. Every modern president who left with his office intact was a masterful speaker.

If skillful speaking can get you to the top of your field, clumsy speaking can get you into trouble.

Consider these common problems that are caused by poor communication:

·        Being passed over for a job or a raise

·        Being rejected by someone who doesn’t understand you

·        Being treated as invisible by your boss

·        Being treated with disrespect by your spouse or children

·        Getting into unnecessary verbal conflicts

Being able to communicate persuasively is an important life skill.

So, I ask you this--what are you doing about this?

What are you doing, right now, to become a more powerful speaker?

What books are you reading/studying? What programs are you following? What lessons are you taking?

               If speaking well is the single fastest way to succeed in any field, why aren’t you learning to be better at it?

               I have heard many people say “I don’t have enough time.” And I am sure I could poke holes in that one. Humans tend to push off non-urgent tasks while taking care of urgent ones. Yet it is the important task not the urgent ones, like improving your speaking skills, that will make the greatest long-term difference in the quality of your life. You have to have your priorities.

               The most important way to become a powerful speaker is with practice.

               Speaking well is the easiest way to fast-track a career.

               It is impossible to overestimate the value of speaking well. Whether you are negotiating a lease on a car, presenting an idea at a business meeting, having a conversation with a powerful person to whom you’ve just been introduced--what you say and how you say it truly matters.

               In my research, I have found very persuasive people in which speaking is responsible for most of their important accomplishments.

·        Saying the right thing got them a 25% stake in a product they did not create. That made them a millionaire.

·        Speaking well landed someone additional partnership deals in the years following the first one. As a result, his share of the business grew to include one-third of a group whose yearly revenues exceeded $135 million.

·        In less than two years after a person retired at 39, he talked his way into a high-paid gig with a client that has generated a substantial seven-figure income.

I am a big supporter of developing speaking skills, which Is what I recommend to you. It doesn’t take much. If you improve your skills by 10%, you will double your personal power.

Think about how many times in your daily life you could benefit from being a persuasive speaker.

Imagine if you could convince anybody of anything.

Imagine how much you could achieve.

You can become a powerful speaker if, like any skill, you are willing to invest the time to practice.

I recommend these books: The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Steven Covey

                                                    The Exceptional Presenter by Timonthy Koegal

                                                     The Power Of Your Speech by Virginia Avery

                                                     On Speaking Well by Peggy Nooman

If you have any suggestions of other books on improving speaking skills, please put them in the comments below.