Viewpoints: Take the challenge!

If I gave you ten steps to discover the speaker within you, would you take part in the challenge?

I believe that most people are afraid to speak because they base their speaking on misleading information that creates an inauthentic speaker.

Once you are aware of these speaking myths and start to change your behaviour – you will begin to ignite the authentic speaker within you.

Take the 10-step challenge below and see the difference for yourself!

Here is what you need to do:
Step 1 For your next talk, avoid being overly scripted. Your audience relates to natural conversationalists and not to theatrical stage performers. Avoid being a robotic speaker.

Step 2 Remove any beliefs that you may have about yourself and your ability to speak. Every time you say to yourself ‘I am an introvert’ or ‘I am shy’ you instil a belief that introverted people or shy people are unable to learn to speak.

Step 3 Speaking is an imperfect skill – no one is perfect – so do not wait until the ‘perfect’ moment to speak and do not wait until you are ‘perfect’ as a speaker – you may end up waiting for a long time. The best way to speak is to just start, and every time you speak you incrementally improve your skill.

Step 4 Believe in yourself as much as the person who asked you to speak has believed in you. Avoid comparing yourself and your message to other people. You are unique and what you have to say is unique to your experience. Focus on delivering a message of uniqueness.

Step 5 Most people are afraid to speak in case they are asked a question that they might not be able to answer. You can start your presentation to clarify the area of your specialism and invite other people to your talk to assist you with questions that you might not be able to handle.

Step 6 Focus on being a natural conversationalist versus a ‘public speaker’. When you see yourself as having a conversation with the audience, it removes the pressure to ‘perform’.

Step 7 Take the time to prepare, plan, package and practise your speech. Even though the topic that you are speaking on might be familiar to you, your audience will appreciate you more when you take the time to deliver a tailored message for them.

Step 8 Avoid having any caffeine, nicotine or alcohol before your talk. While you may believe that these might ‘take the edge’ off your nerves, they increase and contribute to your stress levels. Look after your vocal cords by drinking room temperature still water at least two hours before your talk.

Step 9 Pace yourself and attempt to vary your rate of speaking. Most people who are nervous speak as fast as possible to get to the end of their talk. This technique has no benefit to your audience, as they have no time to digest the content of your message. Slow down the pace of your speaking.

Step 10 Speak often. Speak for longer. Speak to diverse audiences. The more often you speak, the more you grow your skill and confidence as a speaker.