Why Speak?
In addition to giving you credibility and expanding your network, public speaking is a great way to build skills. You enhance your ability to compile a strong presentation, drawing on your experience and expertise. You improve communication skills, directly through speaking but also through listening to the audience and working with the energy in the room. Speaking will enrich your confidence by forcing you to overcome fears about being in front of an audience.
How do I get started?
If you are early in your career, you can ask your boss or a colleague who has to do a presentation if you can help with it. You can help to prepare the presentation, help present part of it, or just set everything up and sit in and listen. If you are more experienced, you can proactively seek speaking opportunities through your work related associations or submitting abstracts for upcoming conferences.
Tips for being a good public speaker:
Listen fully Take the time to learn about your audience and think about what is important to them. An audience of young professionals has totally different interests than one of senior finance personnel.
Keep Improving Speaking is something that you improve with practice. You sort out what works and what does not. Making mistakes is part of the process.
Be genuine This means being open to your audience, sharing your personal stories and experiences and speaking from the heart. People do not remember facts and figures, they remember the impression you made. Stories are a powerful way to leave that impression.
We can get all tied up in knots about speaking- but it is not about us. Remember that speaking is about the audience, who needs the information, education or inspiration that you are offering...so speak up!
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