Engage Your Public Speaking Superpowers
If you lack confidence in public speaking, you’re going to have a hard time as a business owner. Period. Being confident will make you a more engaging speaker and it will make your presentation have a larger impact on the audience.
Business owner + Confidence + Public Speaking = Pure Awesomeness
What if there was some way you could feel incredibly confident at the podium .. like a superhero?
I’m going to share 3 tools with you, that will take you from being the average speaker to the superhero speaker you want to be, even if you’re a card-carrying member of the Introvert Party.
“Super” Effective tool #1: Don’t Focus on What, Instead focus on Why
Almost every presentation will be about some kind of change. Whether that means sharing new information, changing the listeners’ opinion, or to motivate them to do something, it’s always about what the speaker is trying to accomplish. That’s usually just how people communicate.
A helpful thing to do is to focus on the “why” rather than the “what.” Your audience will respond better to this. Why are you trying to share this information with them? Why are you trying to change their opinion or motivate them? Most importantly, why should they care about what you’re saying? People respond best when they understand the reasons behind things.
The wise Simon Sinek says, “People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it.”
Appealing to the emotional reasoning with your audience will better connect you to them and your presentation will better resonate with them.
“Super” Effective tool #2: Gain buy-in
Having a supportive audience can make the difference in a presentation that will either be a success or a failure. This is even more important when you’re going trying to introduce a new idea or a plan that has an impact on different groups of listeners.
But how do you get the support? Make connections in advance with stakeholders (those who have an interest, or concern or those who are impacted by the topic to be discussed) to gain their buy-in for your message.
Something that many speakers believe to be true that is in fact, false is the idea that your presentation should be a surprise. Talk over the content of your presentation with stakeholders, they can help you decide if your message is on target to the right audience. Establishing a connection beforehand with those who will be listening to you, is going to make a difference in how your audience takes it. Being able to get an outside opinion will help you have some insight into any changes you need to make so you can best appeal to your audience.
“Super” Effective Tool #3: Find Common Ground
If the purpose of your presentation is to move an audience from one point to another, you need to have a point to start at. Find common ground with your audience, or as some call it, a seam of familiarity. Regardless of what you call it, this simply means finding out what your audience knows and believes and finding where your thinking overlaps with theirs so you can figure out how to connect with your audience.
Being armed with the knowledge about your audience, you can go in ahead of the game and actually start with something that matters to them, and explain how what you’re talking about will actually have an impact on them.
With these “superpower” tools of public speaking at your disposal, you’re probably already feeling like you can do anything. Give them a try and show how you can be the superhero of public speaking at your next presentation.
About Out of the Office Virtual Assistance:
Since 2006, Out of the Office has offered ideas and ways to increase your productivity, decrease your workload, and work more efficiently. We nurture a successful business relationship while continuing to grow as your business partner. We are focused on streamlining your administration, social media planning and execution, content writing and offering creative solutions for your business success.