It is already Feb. of 2019 and many business professionals and executives are still making this colossal mistake.
If I was a corporate executive, or an entrepreneur building a business today, there is one essential thing I would want to have with me at all times.
I want to talk about this one essential - because it's the most unrecognized mistake that most executives and business professionals make.
In fact, once my clients learn how powerful it is, they tell me that they wish they had learned this at the beginning of their career.
The mistake is not recognizing that how you speak is as important as what you say. Your vocal tone is the secret to confidence and persuasion in all speaking situations: conversation, sales, presentation, teleconferences…….
As reported by the Wall Street a few years back, “researchers at University of California, Los Angeles are discovering how charismatic public speakers use their voices to dominate, rouse and influence a large audience. They are finding that successful politicians in various countries, including Italy, France and Brazil, all share key vocal qualities that strongly affect how people respond to them, independent of the meaning of the words they say or the ideas they express”.
Let’s take three skills that will immediately improve your speech.
- Talking to fast is the biggest speech mistake people make. Slow your speaking rate to @ 150 words per minute. Go too fast and your listener may hear you however they are not able to really take in your message. Instead they blow you off.
- Speak clearly with excellent articulation. No more mumbling and running your words together. This is the direct result of speaking fast.
- Don’t throw away the last word of your idea. Many people mumble the last couple words and their idea gets lost. The last word is the most important word.
My clients want to sound confident, keep the audience attention and sell their ideas, because they recognize it will take them to the next level in their career. This is why they take the time to get control of their voice and speech. It is exciting and a learning experience to know how much more powerful and persuasive you can be in life. Over and over I hear, had I had this Executive Speaking Skills and Leadership training early in my career, I would have been promoted to a leadership position much more quickly.
Leadership is much more than “just knowing your stuff”. You need to be charismatic and to persuade, inspire and influence your team, clients, employees, stake holders.
I am dedicated to mentoring you to be the best and most charismatic leader that you can be.
If you would like to learn more about how a Private Executive Speaking Skills program can benefit you, click here to sign up for a Free Voice and Speech Consultation with Sandra McKnight.
Other Articles you may be interested in:
How to Train Your Voice to Be More Charismatic
Sandra McKnight & Warren Buffett agree: Communication Skills Increase your Net Worth!
