Consider the moment you decided to become an entrepreneur… the moment you decided to start your own business. What was it about that moment that piqued your interest in starting? Something tells me it had something to do with a strong desire to spend your working life doing something you enjoy… that lights you up.
There are some aspects of our passions that we don’t necessarily love as much as others as we progress with them in the form of a business. According to research, 77 percent of the population has some form of anxiety when it comes to public speaking. Yet, for many of our businesses, whether it’s with employees, clients, shareholders, or the general public, this is a critical component.
Your attention is drawn inward when you are afraid of speaking. As a result, your body may begin to curl over, your voice may become smaller and less powerful, the connection with our audience begins to deteriorate, and the people in the room may not hear the depth of the message you’re trying to convey.
Fortunately, there are some things you can do right now to start strengthening your message and encouraging your audience to pay attention.
1. Pay attention to your vocal tone and work on it
So many of us go through life believing that the sound of our voice is something we were born with and that we can’t change it.
This could not be further from the truth… This is fantastic news!
Consider the people in your professional life whom you have respected and taken seriously… Consider someone you didn’t particularly admire or respect. What did their voices sound like? Did they have a low-pitched, soft voice… or a high-pitched, strong voice? Do they talk quickly and energetically… or slowly and monotonously?
When you recognize what needs to be improved, you have the power to change the way you speak.
There are a few approaches you can take:
- Listen to a recording of yourself speaking.
- Inquire of a trustworthy and truthful friend or coworker.
- To get a voice analysis, go to my website and submit a recording.
2. Incorporate authority and intonation into your delivery
In the phrases you’re speaking, intonation, inflections, and pauses give them meaning and emphasis. They can make the difference between an audience becoming enthralled by your message and drifting off into their own fantasy land.
To begin, go back over your recording and listen for patterns and inflections.
Now try experimenting with some new and unique patterns… Have some fun with it and see what you can come up with!
3. Discovering the ideal pitch for you
Listening to and finding the right pitch for you will have a significant impact on how you are perceived.
If you speak too softly, it will sound unnatural and be difficult to understand, whereas high-pitched, small voices have a tendency to lose their power and effectiveness when it comes to gaining an audience’s respect.
A clear, moderate pitch is preferred by most audiences.
4. Consider the speed at which you speak
When we are nervous, we often speed up our speech, but this makes it difficult for our audience to keep up.
Many people who are aware of this, however, will slow down too much, causing your audience to lose interest in what you are saying.
Use a timer to work out the best place for your speech. A vocal coach can also be extremely beneficial in this situation.
5. Being able to control your volume
Many of us speak too quietly, making it difficult for our listeners to understand what we’re saying.
Overcompensating by yelling can be exhausting for your listeners.
Getting real-time feedback on your speaking volume can help you find the right balance.
6. The art of speaking with a pause
Taking time to pause while speaking is a powerful tool for allowing an idea to sink in.
It’s crucial to consider when these pauses will be used because it can appear amateurish if it appears that you’ve taken a break because you’ve forgotten your words.
Take some time to go over your speech and mark where you think pauses should be placed.
7. Accents and public speaking are two of the most difficult aspects of public speaking
The question of how and whether public speakers should moderate their accents is hotly debated. While it’s important to feel like you’re speaking with your voice, it’s a simple fact that listeners react to different accents differently.
There is a link between intonation and accent; for example, some Australian and American accents are perceived as sounding as if every sentence is a question in the United Kingdom. As a result, if you’re going to speak to an international audience, it’s especially important to think about how your accent sounds.
Learn more from business and read No Multitasking: 8 Entrepreneur Career Boosting Strategies.
