6 Ways to Dramatically Improve Your Speaking Skills (And Your Results)

By Chakisse Newton, President, Cardinal Consulting, LLC

There's no end to the advice available on how to improve your speaking skills: open with a joke; tell them what you're going to tell them, tell them, and then tell them you told them; move with purpose, etc. The list goes on. While much of that advice is valid, it takes time to implement all those strategies to find what works for you.

What can you do if you want to significantly improve your performance now? Here are six easy ways to dramatically improve your speaking skills and your results:

1. Stop Winging It. Few people can give effective, memorable presentations on the fly. Even if you are one of the chosen few, you will always do a better job with advance preparation. If time is short, make sure you can know the purpose of your talk, your audience demographics and how much time you have to present.

2. Put your audience first. Figure out how people will be better off if they listen to you speak and then give your presentation from their perspective. Your audience will be more attentive and appreciative if they feel you care about their needs.

3. Practice for Every "Presentation." Treat each time you speak as a mini-presentation, whether it's a two-minute report at a staff meeting or a personal introduction at a networking event. Prepare as you would for a formal presentation and you'll be more confident, more effective and more able to give big presentations in the future.

4. Record Every Presentation (and review the recording). This may be the technique that you like the least, but will help you the most. Recordings let you objectively evaluate your performance. You'll find your natural strengths and identify stories and techniques that you can use again to create future presentations more quickly and effectively.

5. Learn to Tell Stories. Quick, what's the moral of The Tortoise and the Hare? You probably remember the moral even if it's been years since you've heard the story. Why? People love to hear good stories and always prefer them to mere recitations of facts. Tell a good story and your audience will do more than listen with rapt attention; they'll actually remember what you said.

6. Speak Often. The more you speak, the better you'll become and the faster you'll improve. Volunteer for speaking opportunities and consider joining a group like Toastmasters where you can practice and receive feedback in a supportive environment.

Review your recording of your presentation to evaluate yourself and pay special attention to how your performance improves over time. If you can regularly improve on just one of the Four R's, you'll put more power in your presentations and keep audience hanging on your every word.

 © 2010 Chakisse Newton. All Rights Reserved.