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As a public speaker, are you a mover and a shaker? If not, you may want to ask yourself these ten questions:
- What do I want to accomplish? Don’t try to fly by the seat of your pants or attempt to be impromptu.
- What does my audience expect, think or know about this subject? Don’t assume that your perspective, interests, and needs are the same as those to whom you’re speaking. (I refer to this as the PIN.)
- Can you be easily heard by your listeners? Don’t speak so softly that people must work hard to hear you. This not only is unproductive but a complete waste of time.
- Are you speaking at a satisfactory rate for the needs of the listener as well as for the content of your message? Don’t speak too rapidly and run the risk of confusing your listeners or having your message be misunderstood.
- Do you tend to use a casual style of speaking as exhibited by dropping of word endings, omitting final sounds, or mispronouncing words? Don’t use a sloppy or imprecise manner of speaking and risk conveying an unprofessional image.
- Do you deliver what you need to say and hold your listener’s attention? Don’t always use the same inflectional pattern which sounds monotonous.
- What are your distracting habits that detract from what you’re saying? Don’t use gestures that are fidgety and call negative attention to you vs. enhancing your message.
- Do you make the common mistake of confusing correct pronoun usage or subject/verb agreement? Whether speaking or writing don’t fall into the habit of being agrammatical as it portrays a negative light.
- Is your speech characterized by using the same words repeatedly and perhaps using jargon? Don’t become complacent with your word choice and also stay away from technical terminology not known to your listeners.
- Do you tend to do most of the talking and dominate the conversation? Don’t fall into the pattern of being long-winded and forgetting to ask your listeners open-ended questions to learn more about them.
Being successful in business is about mover & shaker behavior. Does that describe you? If not, you can modify your style at any time by looking closely at these ten behaviors. Please feel free to contact me if I may help you or someone with whom you work. You can call 518-664-6004, have a virtual meeting or send an email to [email protected]
Can’t wait to hear from you.