You are good at your job

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• You’re good at what you do – that’s what has got you to where you are in your career.
• You’ve also mastered the necessary skills to do your job excellently.
• You may have developed your Emotional Intelligence and people skills – perhaps using NLP.
• And you’re good at creating rapport and communicating with individuals

But…

• Does your public speaking ability show you at your best?Or does it undermine you?
• Can you present confidently and influentially to groups of people?
• Does your speaking style convey confidence?
• Do your posture and mannerisms support or weaken your impact?
• Can you maintain your equilibrium in the face of hostile questions?
• Does your presence telegraph your true ability?

The moment of truth

In my training and consultancy work I’ve seen many a great and many an awful ‘moment of truth’ in the careers of people when they stood up to make a presentation.

We all know that moment when an unknown speaker stands in front of us and is about to speak…

… and you think “will they present their ideas professionally?  Or will this be one of those excruciatingly embarrassing experiences in which we’re willing the speaker to sit down and shut up…?

I’ve seen highly skilled individuals lose credibility within seconds of standing in front of a group; nervous voice, shaking, lack of eye contact, rushing to get it over with.

This is bad enough for them but, more importantly, it is most uncomfortable for their listeners. And the listeners will never forget it if a speaker embarrasses them.

It’s the point at which the future of many a career changes.

Happily, I’ve seen people, who may have been slightly less competent in job-related skills, shine and make people sit up and listen by the way in which they organise and present their ideas.

The career essential

An excellent public speaking presence is a career essential if you wish to influence or lead people.

As a team leader, sales person, manager, or someone running their own business you know how important it is to confidently and clearly communicate in meetings and in presentations.

Present your ideas in a nervous or disorganised manner, or hide behind PowerPoint, and you undermine yourself.

Impress people with your confidence and clarity of message and they will believe in you… and your message.

It’s just a skill

Being able to communicate your ideas to a group in a professional and influential manner is not an innate ‘gift’  – it’s just another skill which anyone can learn and become proficient at.