Effective Speaking for Presentations and Selling
I’m part of a career builders toastmaster club and there is one skill they have us be conscious off when giving our speeches- “filler” words. I think everyone could use this reminder.
When speaking be aware of the uses of filler words, such as: like, mmm, so, you know, etc.
You’ll be shocked with how many times you use these word to fill space. The worst part about using these words is it take out validity out of your speech.
A great trick is to have a friend, colleague or even child keep track of how many times you say use “filler” words.
Start being conscious and it will pay of in making you an effective speaker. The best part is now your ears will pick up the “filler” words when others use them. It can become so annoying that is all you can focus on- you don’t want to be this person.
If you work wants you to give a speech or if you are preparing to give a speech to a prospective client this is a great time table to follow to be 100% confident and prepared.
7 days before schedule the meeting time and collect your topic thoughts
5 days before have your outline of where the speech needs to go (a sale, getting a new client, or impressing your current employer)
4 days before work on the introduction and conclusion of the speech (these need to be the strongest)
3 days before finish the outline, fill in the body and if needed gain additional information/ facts (how much money you saved the company, mark up %, client referrals.)
2 days before rehearsal - time your self, get comfortable with the pitch, the information and the delivery
1 day before rehearse again and tweak it where needed
Due date give speech/ presentation
Make sure if you have visual aids such as line sheets, marketing material, press releases,etc you know when they should be presented and when they would aid your speech.
**Fun fact your audience (client) is more likely to remember ideas that have been presented in a humorous way.**
For more information on Toastmasters and to become a better speaker please look at the fashion community page.
For more coaching tricks on speaking to an audience feel free to email me Allison Andrews of APA Consulting:
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