Editor's Note: This is a guest post by Robert Graham, GrahamComm
Becoming a much better speaker is simple. It’s not easy, but it is simple. That’s why people are amazed at the progress they make during a one or two-day presentation workshop. They key is to focus on one thing.
Many people think that you are either born a gifted speaker, or you’re hopeless. But my job in helping people become more confident and effective speakers is actually easy. That’s because most speakers have one or of what I call “quick wins.” These are the skills that if they can improve, will make the most dramatic improvement in how they are perceived. All I have to do is point these out and help them focus(not always easy), and they become a new speaker, often in a matter of hours.
Here are a few examples of what I’m talking about.
David was a mid-level manager at Microsoft. He was very personable, with a quick wit and an outrageous French accent (in the words of Monty Python). He knew his stuff, and his team liked him. But when he spoke, he paced back and forth in front of the room like a caged lion. One hand thrust in his pocket, the other gesturing wildly, he would deliver his talks to the carpet with nary a glance at his audience. Once I got him to stand still and talk to one person at a time, his messages were clearer, he connected better with his audiences, and he was able to read the room to see how people were receiving his words.
Jessica was a young engineer at Cisco. She spoke so quietly that even if you were in front of her, you had to strain to hear what she was saying. When I asked her about it, she said that she figured if she spoke quietly enough, nobody would hear her if she made a mistake. Getting her to speak up wasn’t easy, though. We had to recalibrate her internal volume sensors (ie talk louder). At one point, she felt like she was yelling when in reality, she was almost up to a normal conversational volume. She immediately came across with more confidence, authority and presence.
Andrew is the CFO of a medium size tech company. He describes himself as “passionate about slouching.” A small man, he rolls his shoulders in, puts his head down, shuffles from one leg to the next and avoids eye contact. Though Andrew knows his stuff and has a great rapport with his team, he did not come across as a leader of a company. Getting him to stand tall with his chin up, weight evenly on both legs, move around the room with purpose and have individual conversations made all the difference. He immediately had a bigger presence, projected more confidence and spoke with more authority.
How, then, can people correct these habits?
Focus on one thing at a time. If you’ve ever played golf, and I do it badly, you know that there are dozens of things to focus on every time you swing. Same with presenting. If you try to keep them all in mind and get through your content and focus on the audience, you’ll be overwhelmed.
Here’s the simple (but not necessarily easy) solution: Figure out, through speaking workshops, watching yourself on video or getting candid feedback, what are your quick wins. What is the one skill that if you improve, would make the biggest difference in your speaking style? Once you know that, focus on it like a dog digging up a bone (or whatever metaphor you choose). Don’t worry about anything else. Before you know it, that skill will become a habit. Once it’s a habit, you move on to your next quick win.
When I first started presenting, these were my speaking challenges:
- My eye contact was too quick
- My voice was monotone
- I used lots of verbal crutches (during my first 3-minute speech at Toastmasters, I said “um” 26 times and didn’t remember any of them!)
- My style was too serious
- My energy was too low
One by one, every time I spoke, I focused on one skill at a time. I’d write the words “eye contact” or “Energy!!” in my notes to remind me of what I was working on (just had to make sure I didn’t actually say those words).
And, one skill at a time, my speaking got better to the point where I made it one level away from the World Championship of speaking at Toastmasters.
Now it’s your turn. Figure out what are your Quick Wins, and stay focused. Know that you are only one or two skills away from becoming a much better speaker.
photo credit: Tiago Ribeiro
