Everything But The Weed

Approved by:
Linda Maze, a Wedding photography Gainesville FL in Gainesville Florida

Having to get up on your feet and speak in public can be for some a nerve wrecking and stress inducing experience   . Some people get drenched in sweat as they hold back the nerves or visibly shake and just stumble through their presentation or speech only just surviving the ordeal . Others sometimes suffer total memory loss, lose their way and forget their words which can result in an instant loss of credibility. Being able to present with total assurance and impact is nowadays an essential tool in the armoury of any leader. Their ability to deliver high quality presentations will very much be the difference between closing the deal, influencing the right people and winning the hearts and minds of their people or losing the business, their client’s trust and their own reputation.

Delivering a powerful presentation is a core leadership skill whether delivering a message or handling a Q&A session at the end of an executive board facilitation.

There is a common belief that speaking in public  is a gift that you either inherit or you don’t , that comes naturally or doesn’t. What we’ve learnt over time from working with many top flight public speakers  shatters these myths and we know it is possible to transform run of the mill presenters into excellent presenters and excellent presenters into truly outstanding ones  . The three C’s are critical components of this journey. 

• Confidence – The word confidence is derived from the Latin for  ‘fidere’ – to trust . It indicates the ability to trust yourself, by not stepping on your own shoes  in such a way as to express your self and deliver your message in a much more powerful way  . Confidence enhances your presence and your credibility . It comes partly from being well prepared; if you weren’t sure about your speech and content  then it would be hard to be surefooted. It’s also a state of mind you can deliberately enhance once the preparation is done and its time to deliver. For you the speaker, confidence will be experienced viscerally  , but the audience can see and hear it. 

 • Congruence –  When people communicate be it through conversation or on their feet in front of a group they do so using three modes of communication  – with the content of their speech , but also with their body movement and their voice. Congruence is when all of these channels communicate the same message . The effect of congruence is to communicate with impact, preciseness, focus and clarity. 

• Connection –  Connection is a sense the audience have of a personal connection with the presenter . When you sense a personal connection with someone they are likeable, more believable and more credible as an individual   . And we are more ready to be influenced by people we like and feel connected to than people we don’t like and feel no connection to. Think about a few popular presenters  that you see present on TV, do you like them? Do you feel you have made a connection with the person who is speaking to you? Or did you feel no real affinity for them at all ? What about if you met them at a dinner party  , how comfortable would you feel walking up to them to say hello  ?

A tennis player might improve their play when they start to notice which way the ball is spinning as it travels through the air. A salesman might increase their sales figures if they qualify their prospects more effectively . A racing car driver might shave 100th of a second off his qualifying lap if  he times his acceleration right as he pulls out of each bend.

Making finer and finer adjustments to your performance is the key to mastery but you needn’t do it alone. Every top flight athlete will rely on the feedback of an experienced coach to help them stay on track and make the adjustments for success, so get yourself a top executive coach, feel the fear and get on your feet!