New Year, new beginnings, new opportunities to convey your expertise and step up your public speaking. Whether you’re speaking to an audience of one or 1,000, what you say and how you say it demonstrates your competence and confidence, public speaking coach and veteran public relations executive Rosemary Ravinal shares in this fresh column.
As you prepare to return to work after the end-of-year holidays, it’s the perfect time to fine-tune your verbal and non-verbal skills. Here are six recommendations to help you refresh your communications toolkit and excel in the year ahead.
1. Reflect on past performance.
Start by reflecting on the talks, presentations, and interviews you did last year. Review Zoom, podcast, and media recordings where you led or participated actively. What worked well? Where did you struggle? What feedback did you receive?
You may be thinking: “I don’t like to watch and listen to myself on recordings.” Get over it. Learning to love the sound of your voice is fundamental to your growth as a speaker. Listen and watch lovingly. Do your pitch and rate of speech fluctuate? Are you making good eye contact even in virtual settings? Can you detect moments of tension and nervousness? Observe patterns in your delivery, tone, and body language.
Watch your videos three ways—with sound, without sound, and listen without viewing. You’ll gain valuable insights to tweak your next presentation.
2. Gather feedback from others.
Your peers and coworkers can be your greatest allies in improving your speaking and presenting. As for their feedback, or as I prefer to say, feedforward regarding your past performance. Ask them to assess your effectiveness based on the foundational rubric of good speaking: voice modulation, eye contact, body language, message clarity, conciseness, etc.; plus, any metrics specific to your organization or industry. Establish a presentation buddy system for continuous improvement.
3. Update your story bank.
Stories connect hearts and minds. End-of-year festivities are occasions for creating memories that you may want to share in the form of stories to warm up conversations with colleagues, clients and co-workers. Capture those stories and anecdotes (less fleshed-out narratives) in writing or voice memos and weave them into your formal and informal talks.
However, resist the temptation to top someone else’s story with your own. Listen patiently when someone is reporting on their year-end celebration without jumping in to best their account with your own. Practice listening loudly and waiting for your turn to speak. Silence may serve you better than boasting about your trip to Paris.
4. Take a critical look at your appearance.
Check your wardrobe and your online profiles. Non-verbal messages are more impactful than your words, so how you look matters. Refresh your wardrobe: Look at color and fashion trends for the year and add a couple of items to your closet. Warm rich brown and earthy terracotta tones are in vogue. Adding just a few garments or accessories can update your look.
Is your LinkedIn profile up to date? What about your profile photo? It’s wise to update your headshot annually, especially if you have changed hairstyles or facial grooming. Remember that first impressions are formed in the first seven seconds and how you show up on Zoom or in person can make or break your career and reputation.
