Speaking With Confidence: Tips & New Training Tools

Hands up if you’ve ever suffered from imposter syndrome! It afflicts even the most capable of professionals. But wouldn’t it be nice to walk into your next presentation filled to the brim with confidence and not at all frazzled by your never-ending to-do list, the kids’ school report and the feeling that you’re not quite as prepared for this as you’d like to be?

Presentations and pitches might not be everybody’s favourite thing to do, but they are necessary. Would you believe me if I said they can actually be exciting, memorable – even enjoyable! But as with most things, they take practice and training. Thankfully, there is a wealth of new technology and revolutionary training methods available to help you develop your?presentation techniques?and?speak with confidence.?

Why is?speaking with confidence?important?

Confidence engenders trust, which is an essential?component of persuasion. If you’re going to inspire somebody to take action, whether it be persuading the board to increase budgets, or your colleagues to back your initiative, you must win their trust.

So how do we learn how to speak confidently and win trust—especially now we’re spending more time behind a screen at home rather than in the traditional office??

Learning from home has changed

No great orator becomes as confident as they appear to be without practice. But how can you get the practice you need to build that confidence without a live environment to do it in? After all, practising your?presentation techniques?in your empty home office just isn’t the same as the real thing.?

Now, if you’re visualising drearily sitting in front of a computer screen trying to pay attention to a long pre-recorded video about?presentation skills, I’ll forgive you. Because where the online training format excels is in convenience; engagement can sometimes be lacking.??

Until now.?

The pandemic prompted an explosion in new online training techniques, which acknowledge and tackle head-on the challenges associated with remote learning and presenting.

Virtual Reality (VR), for example, is?revolutionising training. Practising presentations, public speaking and other scenarios within a virtual simulation allows us to make mistakes, learn and grow in a safe space—and wave goodbye to any lingering imposter syndrome once and for all.

And now you can do it?without?the bulky goggles and enormous technology price tag. Online?virtual scenarios?are a new easy to access alternative to traditional VR —offering 75% of the immersive feel of a traditional VR experience.?

So if you don’t have the time or inclination to rehearse in front of a friend or colleague, online virtual scenarios are a convenient alternative, providing supportive feedback in a flexible online environment that recreates the feel of live delivery. You can practise real-life business scenarios such as a small meeting, 1:1 conversation, large scale conference, or online pitch.

Not only that, you can receive instant feedback on your performance – on things like pace, filler words, listenability and more – so you can easily identify bad habits and areas to improve.

Unlike traditional VR training, which requires a headset, online virtual scenarios are completed in your browser, with no download or installation required, making them a much more accessible option.

So if you’re not already leveraging VR to enhance your professional skills and career development, perhaps it’s time to do so. After all, what better way is there to practise and build?confidence when speaking?

Learn how to improve?confidence when speaking: 3-step methodology.