The ability to speak confidently in front of other people is a foundational skill that will supercharge all aspects of your career. It will increase your confidence across a wide range of other skills, helping with critical thinking, listening and improving your leadership abilities. Your ability to persuade, whether that’s with clients you want to sell to, or people in your own company you want to impress, starts with being able to speak clearly.
Fear of Speaking
You have been working at the company for a while now. You like your team, the CEO and the product you’re selling. But you’ve never been much into public speaking, matter of fact you get quite anxious whenever you’ve presented in the past. That’s okay, because there are a few in your company who excel at it and take control when it’s time to give that presentation.
Bypassed
But lately, you’ve noticed that even though you have a more impressive CV than others on your team, they’ve been given different roles in the company. You can see they are ascending the career ladder. So, why aren’t you?
Look and feel like a leader
You may think that sitting back and watching others give presentations is okay since you’ve done just as much work on the project as the others. But if you never speak up, it will be hard to be noticed. If you’re anxious and don’t want to be asked a question, if you slump in your chair trying to make yourself really small, no one will pay attention to you. You need to speak up and be heard!
Become the Go-To Person in Your Organization
As you become a more confident speaker, you’ll notice eyes drifting to you more frequently in meetings when a question is posed — you can become the person other people at your company turn to when they need answers. The more confidently you speak up, the more trust you will build with your colleagues and members of leadership in your organization. When it comes time to promote, who do you think will be thought of first?
What makes a great speaker?
Since receiving my masters in Theatre Voice Pedagogy (the fancy name for the teaching of speech), I have discovered the attributes that you need to become a good speaker. It’s a combination of your body, your breath and your mind.
You must free your body of unnecessary tension. Your breath must flow freely to support your articulation. And your mind must believe you can do it.
All of these things work together to improve your speaking skills and build your confidence. When you start to speak up, you will be noticed, and all your other attributes – critical thinking, leadership and persuasion – will help carry you forward in your career.
Another benefit of being a strong public speaker is the chance to take part in events outside your workplace. You’ll expand your professional network when you’re not afraid to take the stage.
Take the first step in finding your voice, enroll today and get access to my 14-part video course that will improve your public speaking.
Act now and give your career the boost it deserves.
