To be an effective communicator, you need good, solid tools - the basics - a voice, eye contact, gestures, and body language. Of course, it helps to be a good listener and to be organized, as well. And the very best communicators know how to embrace their personal style and deliver a clear, concise message. But make no doubt about it, these skills are cosmetic. That's not to say that they aren't meaningful; these skills are of the utmost importance. Using effective eye contact, presenting with poise, being aware of gestures and body language, controlling your voice - all of this helps to create an intimate relationship with an audience. It doesn't matter if you are talking to two people or two thousand people, the audience will view you as a trusted advisor if you have honed these speaking skills. But be careful; you don't want to look like someone who is putting on an act, someone who isn't genuine, because phoniness is a huge turn off to an audience.
And after all, that's what it's all about....the audience.
It's not about impressing people with your communication skills, it's about providing a meaningful message that benefits the audience and inspires them to act. It's about creating an experience and it's about connecting with people. Instead of focusing on you, focus on the individuals who showed up to listen to you. Sure, effective communication skills benefit every speaker, but they should ultimately serve the audience.
So, how can you best serve an audience? Inspire them with passion. Unlike the other speaker tools, this one is not a cosmetic skill that can be polished, this one needs to come from within you. Passion is the unleashing of your genuine excitement for the message and for the audience.You will need to either find your passion or feed your passion. Discover what makes you happy and do it, because when you do, you will be infused with enthusiasm and energy.
Understand that your passion might not be career related. Just because you are not passionate about accounts payable doesn't mean you can't enjoy your job. You may find your passion in something else like coaching soccer after work. It's ok to feed your passion in the evenings and on weekends rather than during the work day. Just find it. Because once you do, you will see that passion spills over into all areas of your life.
Find it or feed it, but bring that passion to your presentations. A message delivered with passion becomes enormously powerful.
Ty, I loved your newsletter today. I was thinking (now cringing) about my first videotaped presentation when I first attended the Executive Speakers Institute. At that time I considered myself to be an "enthusiastic" speaker, not too bad. However, throughout the course of your awesome workshop, I came to realize it was the combination of my enthusiasm and all those tools you teach us about that turned me into a "passionate" speaker. The voice modulation, eye contact, gestures, props, poise, knowledge of materials and believing that I am the expert in the subject that my audience came to hear are what truly helped my passion emanate through. Evolving from that "enthusiastic" talker into a passionate speaker has made all the difference in my career since then, and I believe also in the myriad other interests I have pursued. Your course was a "life-changer" professionally and personally and I thank you so much for that! My husband, Bill, is also an ESI graduate and we consider our investment in ESI as one of our best!
ReplyDeleteWow, Mary! Thank you so much for your kind words. I'm always happy to hear from our Excellence in Speaking graduates! All the best, Ty Boyd.
ReplyDeleteTy, my 17 year old son has been terrified of doing presentations for his class and as a result has suffered academically because he would rush through them to get them over with. I have been working with him for a number of weeks using all the skills I learned through ESI. I have encouraged him to find the topics he is passionate about to present in class and it has made a world of difference. At some point I would like to enroll him in the ESI. It has been a joy for me as a parent to see the panic replaced with anticipation.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing! As we've said many times, this is why we at Ty Boyd Executive Communications & Coaching get so emotional about learning presentation skills...its not about packing your toolbox with a bunch of practical skills...it's about self-empowerment. Once you have the passion and the tools you need to share your passion - you are able to communicate at a whole new level! We look forward to meeting your son in Excellence in Speaking. We have two course this summer that might work for him: June 6-8 and August 1-3. Check out the website for more class offerings. And thanks, again, for keeping in touch.
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