September 20, 2010

Effective Executive Speaking - Increase Your Confidence And Avoid 3 Big Mistakes

by Tom Marcoux

What is a springboard for your career success?Effective executive speaking — that is, your ability to speak up in a meeting or to give a presentation. Get confident when you avoid three big mistakes:

Mistake #1: Letting fear and nerves cripple you. Any time you're feeling fear about giving a speech, find a small way to rehearse. You can:

*Call a friend to ask if she can devote two minutes to listening to you rehearse the opening of your speech.

* Call your answering system and record a two-minute rehearsal of your speech.

* Pick five close friends and ask them to listen to five small sections of your speech.

Mistake #2: Getting embarrassed about making a mistake. You don't have to fear making a mistake when you know how to recover from mistakes. Here are Recovery Methods. Say: "That's not what I meant to say. What I meant to say was ______."

* If your mind goes blank, ask a question or say: "Now, I want to emphasize . . ."

* Take a breath. Know that your audience probably welcomes a pause so they can catch up with their own processing of your comments.

* Ask a question such as : "We've covered a lot of material so far. What detail has connected with you?

Practice effective executive speaking by making sure to rehearse some typical Recovery Methods.

Mistake #3: Leaving out stories. Do you want to persuade someone? Good — then learn to deal with some resistance.

How can you avoid resistance altogether? Tell a them a good story. When you're telling a personal story,you are the expert of your own story. Your true personal story gives the audience an experience. Make a point and attach a story to it.

Researchers have noted that people who are on the fast track to success have one important thing in common: They are good communicators. How can you improve your skills? Get coaching and rehearse your way to effective executive speaking. In this way, you will condition yourself to do well in a trying situation. You'll also find that your confidence improves.

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