When I talk about speaking, I’m not just talking about on a stage.  There are so many different ways that we have to be confident speakers now.

Whether it’s on stage, podcasting, online summits or just Instagram stories – they way that you communicate your message matters.  It makes a difference to your business. It makes a difference to how people connect with you and how you connect with them.

I believe that right now is the most important time to build your confidence as a speaker and I’m going to share a few ways that you can start to do that more today.

(When it comes to speaking, last week we talked about building your thought leadership.)

Message

So it’s about creating a message that you’re passionate about and that you think really embodies what you’re here to talk about and do.   I think that message is everything. With the businesses that I work with how they communicate whether it’s written or verbal, matters. As I said last week, your language is either fuel or water.  So practising your messaging and honing is a great place to start.  If you can get clear and confident with your message then when you speak about what you speak about, it’s can really have an impact – which leads to my next point.

What Impact do you want to have

What impact do you want your message to have? 

If you were to share your message, what’s the outcome that you want from it?

What do you want people to do? 

Do you want to teach, inspire, education, inform people? What’s your purpose and how do you want to communicate your message. Deciding how you want to show up and things you want to share is a big part of building your brand. 

When I think of Brene Brown, she entertains, inspires and educates me

When I listen to Elizabeth Gilbert she entertains and inspires me

When I watch a training video it educates me and teaches me something new.

If you can work out what impact you want to have and how you want to deliver your message then you’ll become known for that. 

I’ve had people contact me to speak and they like the energy I bring, the fun I have when I speak but the solid content to teach and inspire. So if that’ what my brand and reputation as a speaker is then that ‘s what I want to lean into and build on.

Creative application

What is the best way an where is the best place for your share your message?  Where are you comfortable or where could you get more comfortable? Where are your audience and where is the attention right now?  

I get people that say – I don’t know what to talk about, so an easy thing to do is list all the questions you get from your clients.  Make a list of all the things you do for your clients and talk about those things.  Talk about the things you observe in the world and what you think about those things.

Talk about your passionate about or even what you may disagree with. 

We’re multi-facetted humans so it’s okay for you to talk about business, work life, personal life, life as a human in the world where you are.  All of that works – you just have to decide what you want to share. 

What’s relevant right now?

What can you see that is happening to your clients that you can share and expand on.  I can tell you that a lot of my content is very client conversation specific.  IT’s shares stories and insights and it’s what I think my audience resonates the most with because they are – YES that’s’ me.  I did a post on insta the other day about not being scared of your own success and how a friend has been knowingly self-sabotaging her own success and the conversation we had around it.   Relevance and story are one of the easier ways for you to get confident with speaking and sharing because stories are a universal language and we’re 22% more likely to remember information when it’s wrapped up in a story.

Speaking with friends

Having company is a great way to get confident.  I hadn’t done an insta live in ages and recently I did one with Sonia Bavistock and it was so easy when I was in conversation with someone else.  So think about how you can grow your speaking confidence on different platforms with friends.  I think that’s why I find podcast interviews so easy because I’m in a conversation.  When you’re in conversation you’re not conscious of what you’re saying because you’re bouncing off someone else.   So think about how you can potentially do that.

Watch others and learn

I’m a bit obsessed with watching speakers.  Mainly Brene Brown and Elizabeth Gilbert.  When you watch people whose style you love then you can pick up tips and pointers from them.  I’ve learnt so much from watching other people speak as well present online.  When I do a webinar there is a framework that I use now on how to build the connect, teach great content but also pitch in a way that feels good to me and I learnt that through other people who do it really well.

Make the decision to be brave and courageous

You know something? At the end of the day it’s up to you to show up and speak up.  Speaking to our followers, audience, clients, peers is just part and parcel of business. Building the courage to start really talking about the things that are going to put your Brand on the map or having conversations that require you to articulate what you do and who you are in a simple way is so important. People don’t have time to work out what you’re about, they just need to understand here and now why you do what you do and if you’re for them or not.  So building your confidence as a speaker whether it’s a speaker on stage or a speaker one on one on your next client zoom call – it’s a skills, a muscle and an asset as a business owner to really nail this.

I want you to get brave and understand that speaking with confidence is  a skill that you can choose to develop.  It’s such a game changer for your business when you can speak with confidence and share your message which is why I’m so passionate about teaching business owners to speak with confidence in the Bold Speaker’s Collective.  Make sure you check it out and I’d love to see you join us!

 

 

 

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