What do you project when you speak?
Is it a leadership voice? Do you come across as an authority?
Regardless of what industry you work in, becoming an expert and offering an authoritative voice is something that many of us want to achieve. One element of this is becoming a professional speaker where you speak at conferences, perhaps deliver a keynote address at an event or be an invited guest speaker at an industry seminar or workshop on your specialist subject. However, being an expert in your topic alone, without the soft skills required to be a good speaker, is not sufficient. In order to be seen as the authority you must firstly have the skills and experience in your specialist subject and then you need the skills to be able to deliver it in a way that makes people want to lean in and listen to you. So what are those skills? You must speak with passion, confidence and have charisma to ensure that you engage the audience and keep them interested in the point you are trying to convey.
To become an excellent professional speaker takes practice and coaching. Yes, you can learn a lot by watching others, and it comes naturally to some more than others. However, it can be a daunting and terrifying experience for most of us, and this is where coaching can help. Firstly, and perhaps one of the more common obstacles people need to overcome is the Imposter Syndrome – the persistent inability to believe you are deserving of being the authority, and interestingly, this one mental block can be heard through the voice! The other soft skills a good coach can teach you is how to manage nerves, how to deliver to the whole audience (not just a small portion), how to project your voice, how to use the space effectively. In my coaching, along with these skills I also help leaders tap into their voice so that they can add shades of meaning to words. Words are everything, but they are also nothing. It is the voice that brings them to life! Having finesse in your vocal delivery will enable you to touch senses and impact emotions.
Speechcraft techniques such as pitch and pace, volume and pausing are other soft elements that good professional speakers utilise to make their delivery powerful. Knowing how and where to use these elements throughout your talk can be all the difference you need to lift your talk to be a great delivery! Learning the art of authentic body language is another skill that can benefit your talk. By learning new skills and just changing a few things in how you speak, your confidence will quickly grow, which will be evident to the audience.
Once you have learned to own your authority and control and channel your nerves, being a professional speaker and talking to others from every walk of life will become second nature and something that you enjoy rather than meet with trepidation. I will teach you a range of techniques to control your breathing, hold yourself, and engage with the audience. This is when speaking becomes rewarding.