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by Virginia Avery
"If
all my talents and powers were to be taken from me by some inscrutable
Providence, and I had my choice of keeping but one, I would
unhesitatingly ask to be allowed to keep the power of speaking, for
through it I would quickly recover all the rest."
-
Daniel Webster
Language expert Wilfred Funk was one of the first to
study highly successful men and women to determine what they have in
common. What he discovered was that they all have the ability to
communicate clearly and effectively. Since then, many studies have
shown the same thing. In fact, members of the "speaking"
professions - lawyers, politicians, professional speakers,
salespeople, and entertainers - are among the highest paid.
There appears to be a high correlation between word
power and earning power. The ability to speak, to persuade, and to
keep an audience's attention is well rewarded. What about you? Have
you been sabotaging your own success because you feel that speaking in
front of a group is something you would rather die than do?
If so, it is time to do yourself a favor and learn the
skills that can change your life. There is no better time than the new
year to develop the confidence to speak up. Speaking well is
considered the number one reason for career advancement. And - no
doubt about it - this is an essential business skill.
Every time you meet with a client or make a
presentation, your company image is affected - for better or worse.
From the standpoint of public relations, your business can have no
better vehicle than a well-spoken representative. If you think about
it, you'll see that your most important business - and personal -
transactions involve face-to-face communications. To mention just a
few: asking for and receiving a pay raise ... making a winning
proposal ... promoting your new service with a speech ... and
persuading others to back a cause you feel passionate about.
Communication is a complex subject. We communicate
more than simply with the words we use. We communicate as much by how
we say something as by what we say. We communicate through voice
inflection, tone, facial expressions, body stance, and even by the way
we breathe. But perhaps the most important aspect of effective
communication is having the self-confidence that comes from practice.
I once consulted with a small engineering firm that
was on the short list for a contract to design a project for the city
of Grants Pass, Oregon. Five firms were making proposals, among them
two extremely large and successful companies. Now, I know about as
much about engineering as I do about nuclear physics. Nonetheless, I
had my client restructure their approach, improve their visuals, and
practice ... practice ... practice their presentation. And, yes, they
were awarded the contract.
As Ralph Waldo Emerson observed: "All the great
speakers were bad speakers at first." Woodrow Wilson, for
instance, started out as a political science professor. He had a
reserved manner and a stilted speaking style - not characteristics
that make friends and influence people. Recognizing that, he
deliberately and systematically set a goal for himself to become a
skillful orator. And it worked. His success was so evident that when
he delivered his inaugural address as the 28th President of the United
States, it was said "not since Lincoln has there been a president
so wonderfully gifted in the art of expression." Biographer
Joseph Tumulty wrote that by the end of Wilson's life, he "was
like a great organist playing upon the heart emotions of thousands of
people who were held spell-bound by what he said."
The ability to speak is one of your greatest gifts.
Doing it well can transform your life. You can present yourself and
your ideas hesitantly ... or you can be purposeful, direct, and
confident. It's up to you.
Think, for a moment, of Socrates, Daniel Webster,
Ralph Waldo Emerson, Abraham Lincoln, Will Rogers, Martin Luther King,
and Oprah. All of them master communicators. These diverse individuals
from different times and places made history with their words. They
moved others in their time, and they still move us today. No one is
born with the ability to be an expert communicator. But it's well
worth the effort to develop it. Being able to speak with confidence -
in any situation - can be one of the most exciting and rewarding
skills you will ever have. A deep sense of satisfaction, even
exhilaration, comes with knowing you have expressed yourself
effectively.
Anyone (yes, even you) can deliver a presentation that
will captivate an audience. But it does take preparation, planning ...
and, of course, practice. Here are some ideas to help you begin to
become a master of the spoken word:
-
Become aware of how you
sound. Record yourself ... then listen to it as if you were
listening to a stranger. What advice or suggestions would you give
this person?
-
Start a file of short
stories that you find appealing. Tell these stories to yourself in
the shower ... then to a few people ... then to a few more people
... and then to larger groups.
-
Go to lectures and
seminars to hear other speakers. What worked for them? What
didn't?
-
Beg, borrow, or buy
tapes of speakers such as Earl Nightingale, Zig Zigler, and Brian
Tracy. Listen to them over and over again.
-
Consider joining a
Toastmasters group where you can practice weekly.
-
Volunteer to speak at
every opportunity.
-
If you want to make the
most progress, and make it fast, get professional advice and
coaching.
Today's Resolution: With the ability to speak well,
everything else is attainable. To repeat the words of Daniel Webster
quoted at the beginning of this article: "If all my talents and
powers were to be taken from me by some inscrutable Providence, and I
had my choice of keeping but one, I would unhesitatingly ask to be
allowed to keep the power of speaking, for through it I would quickly
recover all the rest."
So resolve, today, to make becoming an effective
speaker - one who communicates clearly and confidently - one of your
goals for 2006.
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