How will you use public speaking to win friends, influence people, and relax?
Written on 8:12 PM by J
Relax and public speaking is an oxymoron right? Wrong, as a matter of fact you have to relax in order to effectively speak. And you must effectively speak in order to communicate your business’ mission…and so forth.
I was speaking with one of my mentors, from the Department of Education, today. He is a public speaker…meaning he gets paid to speak! I explained to him, how Brian, Omojo, and I are building an online aid to help young professionals communicate effectively within the corporate environment. He agreed with much of our mission and goals. He mentioned the hardest thing to do is “effective communicate” this to the masses for their buy on and support. He recommended joining a Toastmasters chapter, in order to learn the essentials of speaking publically.
A couple weeks ago I was speaking with my good friend Ryan Durkin (@Durkin), Director of Business Development, of CampusLIVE. Being that CampusLIVE has been featured in Businessweek as one of the top 25 company’s run by executives under 25, I asked him for advice. I asked him the best practices of reaching out to the masses and growing our endeavor. He suggested I read How to Develop Self-Confidence and Influence People by Public Speaking. I thank him for the recommendation and it was an awesome book!
I have been successful in the corporate environment and a large part was due to my public speaking skills. Skills I have developed, studied, and have a passion to refine. It has not been simple…overcoming my natural stutter has been an issue I struggle with. I don’t want people to think I am nervous when I speak but sometimes it just happens. That will not stop me from speaking publically, being personable, and seeking to communicate at the highest levels. Below is what I have picked up that has helped me while being in the corporate environment:
1) Just Relax – whatever you have do before hand. Some people count M&Ms and some people Tweet
2) Have a positive posture – I’m sure if you’ve seen Hitch, you recall Will Smith stating 90% of what you’re saying is not coming out of your mouth and a great majority of that is your body language (Hitch is one of my favorite movies…hence the reference)
3) Ensure your tone matches what you’re saying – Napoleon Hill ran a study that showed people may not come away from a meeting knowing what you said but they will remember how you said it
4) Do something with your hands – think of your hands as reinforcement for your point. If they don’t agree people will be thrown off. I separate this from posture, because you can have positive posture and poor hand motions.
5) Dress for the occasion – today my mentor emphasized; you want to sound as good as you look and look as good as you sound
6) Practice, Practice, Practice – there have been a few times when I thought I could go off the cuff with a speech or briefing. Every time I failed.
7) Study great speakers – my personal favorite! We have been fortunate to have Youtube and other tools that allow us to go back in time. The other day I was watching JFK’s inaugural address and the way he moved and put emphasis on words was amazing. There is the President and various motivational speakers; Napoleon Hill, John Maxwell, etc, let’s not forget about your teachers and supervisors.
I highly recommend taking something from everyone you have verbal contact with. This way you can know what and how to speak publically and vice versa.
How will you use public speaking to win friends, influence people, and relax?
-J
