A leader should not be just a person who has a fancy job title and an office with a nice view. Voice tonality plays a large role too. Accompany us and the Fast Company website to read a few tips that will encourage your audience to think: "Yes, that's exactly it!”
Express an interest in what you say
If you yourself do not sound confident in your own words, then your audience also will tend not to trust you. Too often, managers prepare notes concerning what they want to share at a meeting, then memorise them or even read from a paper. Your speech should come from within, not from some notes you have with you. This reflects mostly on your concentration and confidence in what you are saying.
If you want to impress the audience, be aware of which keywords best capture the message you wish to convey. Audiences perceive things in abridged form and it is very likely that the idea they take away from your speech will consist of those keywords which they will remember.
Short sentences, short breaks
Have you ever followed presentations of interesting speakers? What characterised most of them? They speak in short sentences, followed by a brief pause. This style of speech is much more efficient than lengthy speech, during which you are trying to cover everything in a few sentences.
If you use short intervals during your speech, you prove that you have clearly organised thoughts and the listener has a chance to make interim notes.
Be aware of intonation
You have surely read a lot about intonation. Something worth noting, however, is a speech style in which you end almost every sentence with a rising intonation, as if you are asking a question. Thus you lose your authority and confidence and your speech suggests you need a double-check for each of your comments. In addition, poor tonality sidetracks the listener from really important ideas.
Record yourself
Do you have a clear idea of how you want your audience to feel? Should your speech arouse passion, show gratitude or raise a stormy discussion? Many speakers usually have no clear idea about this; they simply stand in front of their audience and deliver their speech somehow. But that is not how it should be. Record your practice speech and see what emotions it evokes in you.
Do you know where you make mistakes or, better still, can you share your own tips for presentation skills?
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