Without a doubt, communication plays a major role in the successful function of any workplace. To foster a collaborative environment, it’s paramount that your team members not only share common values, but also feel inspired to continually go above and beyond in performance.
How can you create this positive effect on your staff? Public speaking. In fact, being able to motivate employees with stellar presentation techniques and useful information can be key to producing business prosperity.
Still, public speaking can be intimidating if you don’t know how to give a powerful delivery. And what happens when you don’t know where to begin? Whether it’s small talk in an informal meeting, or a speech you must address to the entire company, you’ll want to use these important tips on mastering the art of public speaking.
Consider Your Audience
It’s imperative to know exactly who you’re speaking to so that you capture their attention for the entire time you’re speaking. Your audience also determines what kind of approach you use for the delivery.
Is it a small group of colleagues you’ve known for 20 years? You could probably use some humor and relaxed language to generate a connection.
On the other hand, if you’re in a professional atmosphere with less familiar employees and you’re trying to express a serious matter, keep your tone formal.
Stick to Your Specialty
You wouldn’t speak about international relations if your expertise is in finance. Therefore, as a rule of thumb, it’s best to stick to knowledgeable topics. Employees are more likely to believe the information you share due to your credibility. Plus, communicating well-versed material will inevitably make you appear more confident since you are already so acquainted with the subject.
This also helps you avoid having to do extensive research on foreign topics. It would be unfortunate for you to give out information that is rooted in sub-par data or false sources. Overall, focusing on what you already know keeps you confident, involves less preparation, and prevents mistaken details for being trusted as facts.
Research Ahead of Time
Despite only wanting to speak on your expertise, there will be times when you may have to deliver unfamiliar information or cross reference your message with topics from other fields. In this case, you will have to research everything beforehand. Having concrete facts to support your ideas completely validates your authority.
Although you may already be comfortable with the subject at hand, you’ll want to brush up on key points or essential data no matter what—even if you’ve been saying the same information for your entire career. Again, you would be remiss to accidentally share false material with employees, especially if they are relying on you as a main source.
“Think of research as the foundation for public speaking,” says Lara Mason, expert speech writer for aussiewritings.com. “In order to build a great speech, you first need all the facts. If you don’t have solid information to share, your message will become vague and most people won’t take you seriously.”
Always Use Interesting and Relatable Information
Business owners, managers, recruiters, and the like should alwaysconsider what information employees are interested in hearing. Sure, you may be required to communicate mundane reports or repetitive concepts, but you can still capture your employees’ attention by including stimulating material.
Find out their favorite parts about work and use that to your advantage, use incentives, or make your message relatable by incorporating personal stories. Discovering what your employees want allows you to spin your speech into a highly effective tool for a communication victory. As you search to meet their expectations, surely, they will seek to meet yours.
Practice Your Speech
Before you officially speak in front of your employees, it’s important to practice what you want to say in a comfortable environment to get a sense for how you perform. This way, you can set goals for exactly what you want to achieve while envisioning the outcome. Better yet, rehearse in the space where you’ll deliver your speech so that you know the precise room set up, if you require technology support, if there’s outside distractions to regard, and other details that could potentially interrupt you.
Practicing also gives you an idea of how to convey your personality and improvise when you forget some details. Do you notice yourself using “um” or “like” to fill in awkward pauses? Now’s a good time to reinforce positive speaking habits that set you apart as a professional.
Be Enthusiastic
When it comes time to communicate, show your enthusiasm. Employees become much more engaged if they see passion shine through your eyes. Simply donning a bright smile, using an energetic vocal pitch, and displaying a spirited attitude reinforces how much you care about the subject. Then, as your employees view your excitement, they will likely mirror your thinking and behavior. If you’re trying to inspire your employees, enthusiasm is critical.
Public Speaking: An Overview
There’s no question that public speaking is an important trait in the world of business. At first, it can seem like a huge ordeal to most people, especially in a professional setting. However, with enough insight about your audience, effective preparation, and an enthusiastic attitude, you can easily become a public speaking master that continues to engage and motivate employees for years to come.
This is a guest post. Olivia is an incurable optimist who always sees the glass as half-full. She likes nature, knows how to enjoy silence and is keen on writing for different websites.