The Power of Speaking Professionally!

The Power of Speaking Professionally

Speaking Professionally has become a Billion Dollar industry over the past 20 years. It allows individuals to establish themselves as the experts or authorities in their given field, it helps individuals connect and build business relationships effectively, while also allows individuals to make money and increase trust despite their industry or topic. The Power of Speaking Professionally can also span across all industries, continents and concepts.

A question that many professionals and individuals ask, includes, if I am not a natural Speaker, can I become a Powerful Public Speaker? Yes you can, but you must be prepared to do the work.

This article is focused on providing techniques, strategies and tips for new public speakers as well as reminders to become a stronger public speaker:

What is the Goal of Your Speech

Whether you have been asked to speak about a particular topic at the Corporate Retreat, the Annual Summit or the upcoming Women's Leadership Conference, you must know the goal of the day and stick with the goal throughout your speech.

Know the Purpose of Your Speech & Your Audience

Speaking publicly brings with it a great responsibility in addition to a great reward. The moment you receive the request to speak, you have two things you must find out immediately: Who will be attending this event and what do they need to know or what do they need from you?

The Purpose of the Speech

There are many different types of speeches, but we will review the most common 5 of them for the Corporate workplace. When making a decision on the type of speech you plan to deliver in the All Hands meeting for the 20,000 employees, don't forget that most speeches are a combination of at least 2 different types of speech types, if not 3. But work very hard to define the core speech type before you move onto creating a powerful outline.

• Informational Speech
• Persuasive Speech
• Demonstrative Speech
• Educational or Teaching Speech
• Motivational or Inspirational Speech

Your Audience

As you make a decision on the type of speech you plan to deliver, do not forget to address the audience. You must know who will be in attendance and you should also know some of the pain points around the topic at hand. You also need to have an idea of how much information do they already know about the topic you are presenting. Why did they ask you to speak, what is the purpose of the event and if they picked the topic, why? But if they didn't, make sure you a pick a topic that is powerful, relevant, engaging and appropriate for the matter at hand.

Create a Powerful Outline

Many of us don't like outlining or planning before we move onto the meat of writing a powerful speech, but there is truly so many benefits in writing a great outline. The key reason for developing an outline is to keep your thoughts in order.

A great outline should include the type of speech you plan to write, at least 3 - 5 topics you plan to cover, and what you are hoping your speech will achieve when you are finished delivering it. A great speech also ends with a powerful call to action, so in your outline, include how you would like to see the attendees move after the speech.

Preparing a speech takes a lot of work, but please know that Research, Research, Research is the greatest and most important step in preparation.

Research, Research, Research

Developing a powerful speech means you must know that the experts are saying about your topic. You also want to ensure you are using trusted sources to gather information. Here are some examples of trusted sources:

• Journals and Associations
• Harvard Business Review
• White Papers and Research Papers on applicable topics
• Focus Groups & The Learning Community
• Interviews with Experts

Write Your Speech

Make sure your speech is written for the topic and audience at hand. Consider a strong opening, and don't forget to close with a Call to Action.

Once you finish writing the speech based on your outline and findings from your research, it is now time to personalize it. Add short stories, famous quotes, voice inflection and a short joke, if appropriate. Depending on the environment and confidence in the speaker, you can pose the audience with a question or two about the topic if it is a workplace event.

It is also important to determine what type of handout, visuals or information will you give to each participant and/or will show during the event.

Practice, Practice, Practice

Practice is one of the greatest things that will help perfect your speech while minimizing your stress levels. Practice reading it out loud, practice reading it in a mirror and even practice with a friend or colleague if you are extremely nervous about the event.

?Fear Can Be Minimized

While many folks experience fear when speaking in front of crowds, there are a variety of ways to minimize both fear and stress:

• Studying your topic at length will minimize your stress because your confidence level will begin to elevate because of your newfound knowledge.
• Deep breathing exercises throughout the week before you present and the morning before you present will minimize your fear dramatically.
• Morning meditation before the speech will also minimize your fear and stress about the speech.

Final Word

A successful speech is not always tied to saying everyone that was on your paper, finishing exactly on time and getting a standing ovation, but a successful speech should be tied to delivering a speech that you believe met the goal at hand and at least touched one individual in the audience! Lives are precious in this season and our success must shift from folks believing we are wonderful, to us working hard at making someone else's life wonderful!

I hope you feel empowered, equipped and educated around the things associated with Speaking Powerfully Publicly! ENJOY

Need help writing a great speech or preparing a wonderful PowerPoint Presentation to accompany your speech or want a great class on Public Speaking for your agency, reach out to us to discuss it.

Respectfully, Dina Bell Nance, Chief Presentation Officer / Email- [email protected] / Ph: 301-640-1203