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Are you the shy wallflower whose ideas constantly go unnoticed? You may be intelligent and independent but your soft spoken nature precludes you from confidently public speaking. Meanwhile, your charismatic and outspoken coworkers get credit and receive praise
Maybe it’s your nervousness, or maybe public speaking is just not your way of expressing your solutions. Whatever the case may be, the workplace is structured to allow the person-of-action to thrive.
Margaret Page, International Director of Toastmasters, shares with ENTITY why public speaking skills are so important in the workplace.
“Now more than ever public speaking skills are important to career advancement and fulfillment in life,” she says. “Several decades ago if we had a message or idea to share with multiple people we did it via writing or by presenting. People tended to gravitate toward what method they had strength in. That is no longer the case. In the fast-paced knowledge age we live in, a person needs to be able to formulate an opinion or share an idea and be able to support it in real time in front of others, whether that is in the board room, via video, Skype or a host of new communications platforms.”
Here are five tips to help you thrive in the workplace.
Your body language has an immense effect on your physiology and state of mind. Margaret Page explains, “A person’s body language is a critical element of the message they are attempting to communicate. More than 60 percent of your listener’s neo cortex or thinking brain is involved with processing and analyzing what it sees. Only six percent of the thinking brain is involved with hearing and interpreting what it hears.”
“Let’s face it,” she continues. “We have all watched the news, movies, TV and, yes, Ted Talks. We expect speakers, commentators, politicians, ministers or people who speak in front of groups to be confident and knowledgeable. If you are not confident or have body movements that are incongruent with your message it will detract from your message.”
Page recommends using “power poses daily to change brain biochemistry.” In other words, spend a few minutes every day standing upright in a “wonder woman pose” with your hands on your hips. This will not only decrease levels of stress hormones in your body, but also give you the confidence to speak up at work.
READ MORE: 6 Ways Introverts Can Thrive in the Workplace
Page recommends dedicating “10 minutes a day to vocal warm ups to strengthen and control the voice.” Drink some warm tea and do some vocal exercises before you plan on giving a presentation or speaking up during a work meeting.
In addition, spend a few minutes a day practicing your diaphragm breathing. According to Northern Michigan University, diaphragm breathing helps strengthen the lungs and even lower your heart rate and blood pressure. If you are nervous before a presentation or speech, take a few deep breaths in preparation.
Deep breathing and vocal exercises will help you relax and speak without stumbling. Having a clear voice is key to avoid sounding nervous. When you appear and sound confident you avoid being interrupted by colleagues doubting your competence.
People listen to respond, not to actually listen. Everyone likes to know that he or she is heard and acknowledged. Echo what your colleagues or boss have said to show that you pay attention to his or her ideas. When you listen, you are more equipped to give a proper response or solution that fits everyone’s desires.
If you are about to speak in front of a large group, make sure you pay attention to the previous speakers. This will allow you to pick up tips from their speeches and learn how the audience is responding. In addition, this will allow you to eliminate any repetition when it is your turn to speak.
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According to Page, “Microsoft did a study a while ago demonstrating that human’s attention span has declined to eight seconds. One second less than a goldfish. We live in a billboard world. If we can’t capture someone’s attention as quickly as we pass a billboard as we drive by they are on to something else.”
If you don’t want your ideas to be forgotten as soon as you express them, sit closer or center yourself in front of the person to whom you are speaking. This way, you are the focus of conversation and other voices are just side chatter instead of a distraction from the conversation.
Public speaking – whether at an auditorium or in front of just five people – can be nerve-racking. Not everyone can do an impromptu speech; for most it requires some rehearsal. Figure out how you are going to present your ideas in a succinct and cogent manner ahead of time. Practice, practice, practice until you can to it your sleep and it will feel effortless when it comes the day to speak up.
Summing up, Page explains, “We now communicate in more ways over more platforms to a broader audience base than no other time in history. It’s far easier to delay, postpone or put off the written word but it is far more difficult to ignore the person in front of you making a case for idea or concept that will make a difference or improve your world in some way.”
So if you want to be heard and your ideas appreciated at work, you need to be adept at communicating. Use these tips to stay on top of the game, both at work and in your personal lives.
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