Speak Persuasively from Successfully Speaking

Speaking persuasively is important in nearly ever aspect of your life. Whether you’re trying to convince your boss to give you a raise, making a whole room feel a powerful emotion, or simply getting your partner to do the dishes, you’ll spend time speaking persuasively. Being able to convince people to see things your way will make your life easier in many aspects.

There are a few things that people who have mastered the art of speaking persuasively know how to do.

1.   Speak with confidence

No matter what you’re saying, make sure that you say it confidently. Avoid using any fillers such as “like,” “uh,” or “uhm,” when you’re trying to persuade someone. If you’re not confident and strong, your audience won’t be able to take you seriously. Check our video on eliminating word fillers.   

2.     Pay attention to body language

Piggybacking off of speaking confidently, you also need to present yourself strongly. If you’re giving a speech or presentation, practice doing some power stances before you start. Remember...your posture will tell the audience how you feel. You should also wear something in which you feel comfortable, yet professional. Check out our video on posture  

3.     Make eye contact

This can be really nerve wracking if you’re uncomfortable talking in front of people or have social anxiety. However, with a couple of tricks, you can give the appearance of eye contact.  When speaking to an audience, you don’t have to make eye contact with anyone for more than a few seconds; look at sections of the audience, but make sure not to dart your eyes back and forth. If you’re talking one-on- one, try to match your eye contact to theirs. If you are still uncomfortable, look at the bridge of their nose. Check out our video on eye contact
 

4.     Speak conversationally

One of the hardest things to master when you’re speaking in front of a group is simply acting like you’re carrying on a conversation. This encompasses a few things: First, you need to anticipate the questions that your audience will have so you can answer them. Second, you’ll need to use the same types of speech patterns that you’d use when talking to someone with whom you're comfortable. This may include using contractions to sound less formal, e.g., can't, didn't, I've. 

5.   Put some emotion into it

Making your audience feel an emotion can be difficult. Adding a statistic or talking about why                   something should be emotional is a good start, but it isn’t enough. You’ll need to incorporate some emotion into your delivery. Speak powerfully and put feeling behind your words to persuade your audience. No one wants to listen to monotone. Storytelling can be compelling to the audience and make your speech more memorable. Check our video to see how pausing and stress can change the delivery.           

6.     Deliver a clear and concise message

Know what your objective is and craft your speech so that the audience understands your plan of action. Tailor your speech to the needs of your unique audience. Check our video to help you organize your message.

Convincing someone to do something or to believe you can be difficult. These tips will help you get your point across. However, if you’re still uncomfortable or would like to learn more about speaking persuasively, give us a call at 410.356.5666 and we can help! Visit www.successfully-speaking.com or schedule a free 15-minute consultation.

Organize Your Presentation

Public speaking is challenging for most people. There are a few out there who are totally comfortable getting up in front of a group of people to give a speech or presentation, but they’re the exception to the rule. Unfortunately, there are going to be times where you’re required to stand up and give an important presentation – maybe one that will help you to advance in your career or aid your company in making a big breakthrough.

While it’s difficult to wipe out nerves completely, there are plenty of tactics to reduce them and make speaking in front of a crowd easier. The most important of these tactics happens way before the presentation ever does: preparation. An organized, well-prepared presentation makes standing up and talking about any subject easier. Affirm your authority when you stand up to speak by organizing your thoughts and knowledge in a way that is cohesive and easy to present.

Organizing Your Presentation

1. Introduce your subject – The tone of your presentation will depend on to whom you’re presenting and where you are, but if you can open with an alarming or interesting fact, statistic, or question to grab the audience’s attention, you’ll start building your credibility from the beginning. Mention the points that you’ll touch on throughout the presentation so that your audience will know what to expect. This will help you stick to your points, and give them a feel for where you’re going and how you plan to get there.
    
2. Cover your points thoroughly – You won’t always cover points in exactly the same way. It all depends on what your presentation is about. There are a few different, logical ways to approach your main points, including chronologically, comparatively, spatially, or presenting a problem and its solution. Take the time to assess your topic and decide which way makes the most sense for ease of understanding, as well as ease of delivery. Try to give your talking points fair and equal time based on importance.
    
3. Wrap it up – In your conclusion, you want to quickly remind everyone of the most important points that you’ve made and give them something by which they’ll remember your presentation. Another strong fact, statistic, or an important conclusion that you’ve drawn from the information presented is a good way to tie everything up. Keep your conclusion short, sweet; and succinct.
    
4. The glue – Bet you weren’t expecting anything after the conclusion! Transitions are an important part of your presentation. They’re what holds everything together and makes the presentation feel seamless. Try to find links between your points to help segue from one to the other naturally. For example, you might say, “Now that we’ve discussed how to organize a presentation, let’s move on to why it’s so important to have an organizational strategy.” A link like this lets your audience know that you’re moving on, but still feels natural.

A strategy I have developed for my clients is to remember TIES. Check out our newest video to learn how you can be organized and concise whether it is for a quick update or a longer presentation.

No one ever said public speaking would be easy, but making it more comfortable for yourself can reduce your fear and boost your confidence. Looking for more public speaking tips? Check out our video library, give us a call at 410-356-5666, or contact us to learn more.

Go for the Gold in Public Speaking!

In the public speaking/presentation skills class that I teach, we were discussing the comparisons between Olympic athletes and sports performance and its parallels to public speaking. I have always used the metaphor of sports with public speaking anxiety, preparation, and delivery, but it is that much more relevant as we watch world class athletes every day during the sixteen days of the 2016 Olympics.

Where do the similarities begin?

PREPARE

We need to prepare for the big event! This includes setting up a routine for practice. We can’t just show up unrehearsed. Set up a schedule that leads up to your presentation.

VISUALIZE SUCCESS

We watched Michael Phelps sit in the ready room prior to his 200 meter Butterfly with his game face on, while his competitor, Chad Le Clos, shadow boxed front of him. Watch it here 

A gymnast was seen lying down with his jacket over his eyes prior to performing. You need to focus on your routine, the race, or the presentation. Visualize positive outcomes.

WARM UP

Get your muscles ready to perform. For speaking, this can include neck and shoulder stretches, vocal exercises with pitch glides and humming, as well as rapid tongue twisters to wake up your lips, tongue, and jaw.

ACCEPT ANXIETY

Know that anxiety is part of the process. Embrace the idea that butterflies and rapid heartbeats are signs of adrenaline pumping through your body in order to help you perform.

BREATHE

Breathing can relax you and allow oxygen to get to the brain and all of the essential body parts. A slow, gentle candle blowing exhalation will decrease your heartrate and calm you down so the anxiety won’t interfere with your performance. Watch how this can be done for public speaking and sports 

ESTABLISH A ROUTINE AND FOCUS

Athletes don’t just stand on the starting block and jump in the water, or run over to the starting line of the track without getting ready, or even serve a ball in tennis or volleyball without first focusing. When you get in front of your audience, establish your presence. Stand up…..take a breath…..look at your audience……smile….Then you are ready!

HIRE A COACH

A coach can help you systematically focus on the necessary skills to help you attain your goals. It’s done in sports, why not have it in public speaking?

Remember these performance objectives and you, too, will be on your way to an Olympic performance!

Contact Successfully Speaking for assistance with your speech and presentations.  

Feel the Authority, Be the Authority

Speaking with an authoritative voice can be a real challenge, no matter who you are. Sometimes it can feel like walking a tightrope. If you go too far one way and end up sounding meek, you lose your credibility. Leaning too far the other direction can leave you sounding angry or irrational. It’s necessary to find that perfect balance of calm, yet firm speech to assert your authority and get people to listen.

The question that plagues speakers is how to achieve that balance. Which physical and vocal cues will help to demonstrate your authority to a person or group of people? There are a few different things you can do – some physical and some vocal - to demonstrate authority. Let’s start with your voice!

Vocal Authority

1.      First, harness the power of a strong pause. Learning where to put a pause in a sentence will make people listen and take note. If your sentence is short, try adding a strong pause halfway through your sentence. An example would be, “Let’s go to the meeting (pause) right now.” For longer sentences, try two pauses in similar places in order to get your point across. Pausing will also eliminate those word fillers.

2.      Emphasize the last words before the pause. This is where the tightrope walk comes in. You never want to sound angry when you’re emphasizing a word, so avoid just making the word louder. Instead, make an effort to place vocal emphasis on the word by raising the pitch, holding it out longer, and making it louder. Remember to stay calm, cool, and collected and drop your pitch at the end of your sentence.

3.      Use clear pronunciation and keep your tone even. When I say even, I don't mean monotone. We need vocal variety! Make sure you’re keeping your demeanor level, but still placing emphasis on important words and points. Speak clearly and naturally.

Physical Authority

1.      Own the room. Whenever you’re speaking to a group of people, make sure that you walk into a room like it’s yours. Meekly entering a room, making self-deprecating jokes, or acting nervous is a way to immediately demean your authority. Be a strong presence in the room by keeping your head up, making eye contact, and sitting toward the front of the room if you’re in a meeting. 
Check out our video on harnessing the nervousness.

2.      Power pose! Stand in a way that makes you feel powerful and authoritative. Make sure you try it out at home before you get up in front of a group of people, but it’s much easier to give off an aura of authority when you feel physically strong.
Check out our video on posture.

3.      Avoid pacing while talking.  Your audience will see it as a distraction, much like you'd be distracted by someone sitting next to you shaking his/her leg.  Moving naturally, on the other hand, brings energy to what you are saying. Just move in a way that is natural to you, the way you would if you were talking to a friend.

What other ideas can you suggest? Please comment below. 

Stand Tall to Convey Power and Confidence

When preparing for a presentation, sermon, or an interview, many of us focus on “What am I going to say?” When we attend networking events, we worry about our elevator speech.  We often neglect the most important part ….our nonverbal communication! Body language influences how people perceive us. Many times, it’s not only WHAT we say, but how we LOOK when we say it.

How we walk into a room, stand in front of the audience, sit at a desk, or wait in the waiting area conveys volumes to the observer. Amy Cuddy, from The Harvard Business School, researched this area, and discussed high-power and low-power poses’ effects on our brain chemistry and confidence (1) Check out her famous TED talk  

Posture is often the first feature that is noticed. Standing or sitting posture shows the observer your confidence level.

Watch yourself in a mirror or on video.

Are you slumped forward, as if the world is carried on your shoulders? Hold your head high and keep your shoulders back. You will immediately signal confidence. Imagine you are a puppet on a string and the string maintains your proper alignment.

For those who love technology, there is a feedback device called Lumo Lift that gives you tactile reminders when you begin to slouch. I have seen rapid changes in my clients who use this device. Check it out.

Here are some tips for good posture:

• Keep your feet planted on the ground 6-8 inches apart. One foot can be slightly in front of the other. However, do not cross your legs while standing or stand with one hip thrown forward. These postures can undermine your image of power and confidence.

• When standing, point your feet towards the listener to show active engagement.   

• Allow your hands to rest at your sides so you can gesture naturally. Avoid hiding your hands behind your back or in your pockets. Crossing your arms over your chest often implies that you are closed off. Fidgeting, holding your hands or arm, or touching your face while talking becomes a distraction.  Honesty, openness, and sincerity are conveyed when the audience can see the palms of your hands.

• Watch how you hold your head. A head tilt is not as powerful, but may be used intentionally to show active listening. As your turn your head to look at the audience, turn your complete body. This squared-off posture projects power and involvement with the listener.   

As a rule, keep your heart facing the audience or your conversational partner, and sit or stand tall. Whether you are six feet tall or four foot eleven, your posture sets the stage to project a positive and powerful image!

Contact us to learn more about effective communication skills.

1. Cuddy, Amy J.C., Caroline A. Wilmuth, and Dana R. Carney. "The Benefit of Power Posing Before a High-Stakes Social Evaluation." Harvard Business School Working Paper, No. 13-027, September 2012.