“I was shaking!” confessed a visibly surprised young female participant, after she returned to her seat.
I nodded sympathetically. I’d be there before, and I too was surprised, and embarrassed, to have been so shaken after briefly speaking in public.
So I understood her reaction. However, I reassured her that although difficult, her attempt was commendable.
The lady, Ms Y, had just given a 30-second elevator pitch to a group of potential investors—fellow participants—about her fashion business idea. Despite the timing, she was able to introduce her idea in a calm manner. Nevertheless, she was amazed by the positive feedback she received from her colleagues. She hadn’t thought she did well.
We’re often our harshest critics.
For the pitches, no notes or visual aids were permitted. One by one, participants were called upon to speak in front of the class. Two volunteers, using their smart devices, videotaped each presentation from different angles. Afterwards, I advised them to email the presenters the clips for self-evaluation.
The day before, I had hoped to ease the predictable dread the participants would face when presenting, so I gave them a full day’s notice to prepare. But that reprieve did little to calm nerves before the short speaking exercise.
Interestingly, some who were vocal in the classroom discussions became visibly nervous in front of their colleagues, who were a familiar audience. Some lost their thoughts, and others waffled on. A few participants displayed distracting body language cues such as rolling eyes, avoiding eye contact or looking upwards, which weakened their pitches.
Yet, some presenters were confident and convincing. They used presence, vocal variety, and nonverbal cues to connect and persuade.
What made the experience interesting was that the group of participants who signed up for the weeklong programme were business owners and managers. They were respected professionals, knowledgeable in their fields and came from diverse industries. They were also clearly driven people who wanted their businesses to succeed.
In my interactions with professionals, I’ve come to realise that they often relegate communication skills to the fringe until a demand emerges. By that time, it’s too late to deliver outcomes because those skills haven’t been cultivated.
Still, the good news I shared was that effective communication skills are rarely innate; they are learned.
Thus, I challenged the group about their public speaking skills. I urged them to speak regularly and to learn best practices to improve their craft along the way.
As a business owner, below are compelling reasons why you must hone your public speaking skills:
1) Increased business opportunities
Being business owners and executives, the participants had heard of Warren Buffett – the US billionaire philanthropist who made his fortunes in stocks.
In the clip below, Warren Buffett admitted to being terrified of public speaking, but he summoned the courage to take the Dale Carnegie public speaking course in his youth.
He attributed that course to his business success. He also declared that public speaking was the one skill that could increase your value by 50%.
So if you can’t present your ideas in a compelling way, you won’t persuade people, and you won’t grow your business.
Don’t take my word for it. Listen to Warren Buffett, Richard Branson, founder of the Virgin Group, or other self-made billionaires who stress the importance of communication in business.
2) Assured credibility
As a business owner, no longer can you hide behind the efforts of your partners, staff or official spokespeople for winning public favour.
The internet, social media and technology have made consumers, clients and investors more demanding of brands and businesses. People are hypercritical and sophisticated in their choices.
Therefore, if you’re a faceless CEO or business owner who doesn’t publicly champion the business, then you’re forgettable.
You’re the most important driver of your company’s success, and you must be able to effectively communicate your vision and share insights in public. Moreover, how well your public speaking skills can address issues, handle crises or promote your business will be a testament to your credibility.
You work hard, therefore, strengthen your credibility to promote trust in you and your business. Complement the behind-the-scenes grind with purposeful speaking in public.
Speak your way to more favourable results for your business.
3) Heightened personal brand
Whether you own a small business or manage a thriving organisation, improving your speaking skills will boost your personal brand, particularly if you’re active on social media.
If you’re sharing industry-relevant information in engaging ways, speaking stints will increase your relevance and will lead to increased visibility for your business.
Richard Branson is a perfect example of how a strong personal brand boosts business growth. Listen to him speak online, watch his videos, and be entertained by his PR stunts.
Be inspired.
Conclusion
At the end of the sessions, the participants and I discussed concrete steps they could take to improve their public speaking skills to benefit their businesses.
I encouraged them to begin speaking in public as soon as possible, to familiarise themselves with the process. I reminded them that if an opportunity suddenly arose to pitch to their dream investors, they wouldn’t impress unless they were accustomed to speaking regularly and to improving their skills.
As a business owner, ‘own’ your business by being its most enthusiastic cheerleader. Speak up, despite your anxiety. Public speaking gets better with time. Trust me on this.
Remember Buffett and Branson.
Then recall the listed benefits that you’d enjoy when you speak regularly and share ideas convincingly.
If those aren’t valid reasons for honing your public speaking skills, then you’re in the wrong business.
For a recap of the points made in this article, watch the video below shot in collaboration with the Lagos Business School.
And now over to you:
As a business owner, in what other ways has public speaking helped you?
If you enjoyed this post don’t rush off just yet. Please remember to:
Sign up for updates in the blog’s right sidebar so that you are immediately notified via email when a new blog post is published. Don’t miss any more articles!
Need help with improving your communication skills?
Contact me:
A) Send an email to: Lucille@LucilleOssai.com.
B) Call for a free consultation:Nigeria: 0704 631 0592
International: +234 704 631 0592
——————————–
N.B: First image is courtesy of Stuart Miles, via freedigitalphotos.net. Second image is courtesy of Idea Go, via freedigitalphotos.net. Third image is courtesy of Bplanet, via freedigitalphotos.net. Last image is courtesy of freedigitalphotos.net.