Confident Communication Changes Everything

Last weekend I was invited to attend the MBA graduation ceremony for one of my clients. He was voted 'Student of the Year' and stood in front of his classmates and their families to deliver a speech with a level of clarity and confidence I had never seen in him before.

When I met Rakesh (name changed) a few short months ago, I never could have imagined that he would be up on that stage speaking in front of his peers.

Rakesh is from India. He had over 8 years managerial experience across India and the Middle East and was one of the most accomplished students in his cohort when he entered the MBA program. He seemed like the perfect fit for the program, but he wasn't thriving. In fact, he was barely hanging on.

His classmates (even fellow Indians) and professors complained that they couldn't understand him. People felt uncomfortable trying to converse with him. No one wanted to work with him in group projects, and he was close to failing every oral exam because the assessors couldn't make out what he was trying to say. His social life suffered. He was lonely and dejected and had lost all confidence in his communication skills. He had never had so much difficulty communicating before.

Although more than 600 companies in Denmark have taken on English as their official corporate language and the country is becoming more and more international, people still aren't accustomed to hearing English spoken in a variety of accents. This can make it really difficult for people like Rakesh to fit in, form friendships and be taken seriously. This isn't only a problem in Denmark, but all over the world, where cultures and languages are coming together for the first time.

Proper articulation and intonation is important in English communication, but confidence in your abilities is even more so. I find that much of my coaching centers around building communicative confidence and giving my clients the tools to approach stressful speaking situations with the right mindset. 

To see Rakesh on that stage voted 'Student of the Year', speaking from his heart with courage, confidence and true authenticity brought tears to my eyes. And I saw those same tears among his classmates and advisors who had witnessed his transformation. He managed to raise his GPA and pass the MBA program with flying colors. He developed a tight circle of friends who really care about him. His smile was real as he delivered his speech, completely transformed.

Rakesh's English pronunciation isn't perfect, and he knows that. He still has more work to do. The difference now is that he doesn't let that hold him back.

Heather Hansen is a Global Speech Specialist and founder of Global Speech Academy. She helps top business leaders all over the world express themselves clearly and confidently in international settings through pronunciation, presentation and people skills training. She is author of the book Powerful People Skills and creator of the fully-online Pronunciation Mastery Program. Learn more, and register for Heather's free, 8-part, Pronunciation Short Course at www.globalspeechacademy.com.