What is one tip you have to speak more clearly?
Public speaking is one of the hardest skills to master. That’s why we asked business leaders and PR experts this question for their best tips to talk more clearly. From slowing down to pausing occasionally, there are several things you can do to improve your speech.
Here are eight tasks that may help you communicate more clearly:
Slow Down
Sit Up Straight
Keep It Simple
Know the Audience
Take a Pause
Ask for Feedback
Take Care of Your Smile
Avoid Eating or Chewing
Slow Down
One simple way to speak more clearly is to slow down when you talk. It may seem like a strange feeling, especially if you are naturally a fast talker, but by slowing down and paying more attention to what you are saying as you say it, you will naturally enunciate your words much more clearly. Oftentimes, fast talking comes from some form of anxiety; if this is something that you struggle with, practice slowing down your speech with family or close friends before you do so in a work or business setting. Once you get over the initial awkwardness of how different this way of talking may feel with those close to you, then you can apply this new practice into your professional life. Learning to speak more clearly will definitely help you with your professional endeavors.
Brittany Dolin, Pocketbook Agency
Sit Up Straight
Posture is incredibly important when it comes to public speaking. The saying, "your mind, body, and soul are all connected," is true. When you put your body in a confident position, your mind will follow; therefore, you will speak clearly and sounds more confident. On the contrary, if you have bad posture, your mind will follow, and your message will have less of an impact.
Bing Howenstein, ALL33
Keep It Simple
Speaking clearly is the main precondition for being understood easily and as quickly as possible. When speaking, it’s of primary importance to make sure that your speech is effective and to the point. Your message should be clearly heard and trigger the response or action of the receiver. We believe in efficiency and simplicity, so when you can, try to find the simplest way to say what you want and make communication easy.
Anastasia Avgerinou, Comidor
Know Your Audience
Interviews can cause a lot of anxiety for some people, especially those who don't have much experience. I think it's always best to overprepare than not at all. It's good to learn about the person you will be interviewing. With tools like profiles on company websites and LinkedIn, you can gauge someone's background and their role at the organization. This can even help you navigate what types of questions you want to ask. Nerves and butterflies are a good thing; it means you care about the interview and the job. In order to manage them, so they are not overwhelming when you speak, is to learn about the person as well as the company.
Shaun Price, MitoQ
Take a Pause
Even some seasoned speakers tend to rush their material when nerves kick in. Just remember that properly placed pauses serve the audience by giving them space to consider an insight, reflect on real-world application, or even laugh at a joke. Often when you unconsciously push the pace, you’re doing so to serve yourself rather than the audience. This robs them of the time required to appreciate what is being said. When you give a beat of silence, you gain a gift — a second or so to form the next part of your presentation clearly. So take your time.
Tim Toterhi, Plotline Leadership
Ask for Feedback
I tend to speak quietly, and so I've gotten in the habit of asking listeners to check my volume. On a Zoom call, for example, I ask my teammates to show a thumbs up or thumbs down to indicate whether I should speak more loudly or quietly. Generally, the answer is a little louder. This feedback is an important reminder to me to speak up and speak clearly so that everyone can hear.
Melissa Kelly, Virtual Team Building
Take Care of Your Smile
As you begin to experience tooth loss, it might eventually alter the shape of your face. This might impact your self confidence and the way you express yourself. One of the best ways to improve your self confidence and the way you speak is with quality dentures. At Eurodenture, we can improve your ability to speak with quality partial or full dentures.
Henry Babichenko, Eurodenture
Avoid Eating or Chewing Gum
It's no secret that you'll never sound your best while eating. Neither will you while chewing gum. However, while these may seem obvious, too much drool can be equally prohibitive to attaining peak oratory skills. So the solution is simple. Always ensure that your mouth is fully clean as no one is a fan of hearing your voice come off wet or gurgly. It's in poor taste and makes it all the tougher for your audience to hear you. So give yourself and others around you a favor and make sure this isn't an issue. You and everyone else will be glad you did.
Jagoda Wieczorek, ResumeLab
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