Speaking with Confidence: An Art

Whether we’re talking in a team meeting, delivering a talk, or presenting in front of an audience, we all have to speak in public from time to time. We can do this well or we can do this badly, and the outcome strongly affects the way that people think about us. This is why public speaking causes so much anxiety and concern. The good news is that, with thorough preparation and practice, we can overcome nervousness and perform exceptionally well.

Speaking with confidence is a game-changer in whatever we do in our lives. It’s not just about what we say, but how we say it.

Being a persuasive speaker means we can sway people to see things from our perspective, all while maintaining a level of respect and openness.

In my profession as a speaker, I’ve discovered a few tactics that can help people sit up and listen.

Some Speaking Skills

Speaking skills are those that help people interact with one another and convey messages. In a professional setting, individuals use speaking skills when giving presentations, meeting with internal or external stakeholders, or when asking questions to their seniors. While doing all this, what we need the most are:

1. Active listening
2. Articulation
3. Persuasiveness
4. Vocabulary proficiency
5. Patience in digesting the information

Why are speaking skills important?

Having excellent speaking skills is important for several reasons. Here are some pointers as to how we can benefit from being able to speak effectively in a professional environment:

1. Enhances our employability during job interviews
2. Increases our chances seek the attention of the people we are talking with
3. Helps inspire change and influences business decisions
4. Helps us foster positive workplace relationships
5. Prevents miscommunication through clarity and language

In this article, we shall be discussing some of the strategies. They’re designed to boost our confidence and transform our communication style. Let’s dive in.

1.    Know the Audience

Understanding who we’re speaking to is an absolute must. It shapes our message, our tone, and even our body language. It goes without saying that we will have to deliver messages differently to the board of directors of an organisation vs. a teenage group.

Before we even start crafting your presentation, talk or speech, take some time to understand your audience, i.e.,

1. Profile of the audience
2. Areas they need help on
3. The organisation that has convened the event

The better we know about them, the more we can tailor our talking points to resonate with them. I’ve seen many speakers deliver well-crafted speeches that fall flat simply because they didn’t take their audience into account. Written speeches don’t work for the younger audience. Don’t make that mistake.

2.    Embrace the Power of Pause

Speaking with confidence isn’t about how fast one can speak or how many words one can cram into a minute. It’s about pacing, rhythm, and the hidden strength of silence. Pausing can be a powerful tool in our speaking arsenal. It provides a moment of reflection for our listeners, giving them a chance to digest what is just said.

But here’s the tricky part — it’s uncomfortable. Silence makes some people uneasy. We rush to fill it, often stumbling over our words in haste. That’s where practice comes in. Embrace the pause. Use it strategically in the talk to emphasize key points and ideas. It creates suspense, draws attention, and adds drama.

3.    Master the Art of Storytelling

Did we know that our brains are wired for stories? Neuroscientists have found that hearing a narrative can actually change the way we think and feel. Storytelling isn’t just for children’s bedtime or blockbuster movies. It’s a powerful tool that can make our speeches, presentations, and talks more engaging, memorable, and persuasive.

When we tell a story, we take our audience on an unseen journey with us. We create an emotional connection and make our message more relatable. As Bryan Eisenberg rightly said: “Facts tell, but stories sell”. Master the art of storytelling, and the speakers are on their way to becoming more persuasive and confident.

4.    Accept Mistakes

None of us can ever be perfect. We, as human beings, can only seek excellence but perfection is attributed to the divine. While speaking we all stumble over words, forget a point, or lose our train of thought sometimes. It’s part of being human. I remember delivering a keynote speech at a major conference. Halfway through, I completely blanked on a key point I wanted to make. For a moment, I felt my confidence wavering. But then I took a deep breath, smiled, and admitted my momentary lapse to the audience.

To my surprise, they didn’t judge or ridicule me. Instead, they laughed along and appreciated my honesty. That moment taught me an important lesson. It’s okay to make mistakes as long as you handle them with grace and humor. Your audience knows you’re human and they’ll respect you for acknowledging it.

5.    Simplicity is the KEY

One of the biggest mistakes speakers make is overcomplicating their message to sound more intellectual. They use jargon, long sentences, and complex ideas that confuse the audience instead of clarifying. The most effective talks are the simplest ones. They’re clear, concise, and easy to understand.

Talks that connect to the audience is that the speaker looks like one of the audience, completely uses his body language, establishes eye contact, and moves around with the audience during the breaks. When preparing the talk, aim for simplicity. Break down complex ideas into easy-to-understand concepts. Use plain language that the audience can easily grasp.

Wrap Up

Regardless of the profession we are in, it’s important to understand how to speak in a confident and effective manner. Our ability to be confident when speaking can help us excel in our jobs role and future careers.

Taking the time to consider the above tips can help us speak with confidence, let’s start practicing and improving our speaking skills at work. In this article, we define speaking skills, review why they’re important, provide tips for improving your speaking skills, and discuss how to become more confident when speaking.