The secret to speaking with confidence Mastering these 5 techniques

The secret to speaking with confidence Mastering these 5 techniquesThe secret to speaking with confidence Mastering these 5 techniquesThe first time I was asked to give a client presentation, you could barely hear what I was saying.Between the stuttering, and the shakiness in my voice, and the constant dancing around what I was really trying to say, it was clear no one in the room was impressed.Follow Ladders on FlipboardFollow Ladders magazines on Flipboard covering Happiness, Productivity, Job Satisfaction, Neuroscience, and moraIt has taken me years of practice to learn how, especially as one of the younger people in the room, to present myself well.1. Replace um with stronger filler wordsIn the moment, its hard not to say uh, um, while you try to gather your thoughts.Great speakers rarely ever use the distracting sound.But if you listen close, its not that they avoid pauses all together. They instead replace uh, um with stronger filler words.When you need to gather your thoughts, use words such as Now You See However, etc.The sentence, Um, I was thinking suddenly sounds much mora definitive and powerful when slightly adjusted to You see, I was thinking.It sounds intentional, and intention instills confidence.2. Know the power of silenceThe best speakers know the power of silence.They are unafraid of letting the room wait for a moment. These speakers can sit calmly for a breath or two in total silence and feel comfortable - and actually use it to their advantage.Unintentional silence can be seen as a mistake, or a sign of uncertainty.Intentional silence, however, is seen as dramatic and even more important.Instead of seeing moments of silence as issues for concern, turn them to work for you by making your next statement that much more poignant. Use silence to lean into your points and your audience will hear you much more clearly.3. Do not make things complicatedThe quickest way to know whether or not someone knows what theyre talking about is to pay attent ion to how many industry-specific words they use.If their vocabulary is a fashion show of insider adjectives, chances are they are speaking more from a place of theory and less from a place of experience.Great speakers and people who carry themselves well know how to get to the point.They dont dance around it.They dont throw around handfuls of buzzwords.They say what needs to be said and leave it at that.If you use language that leaves your audience confused, you arent impressing them. You are frustrating them. Keep it simple.4. Dont curseUnless youve built a reputation or a persona around your edgy delivery, nine times out of 10 its best to leave the sailors mouth at home.When it comes to leading a room, it is in your best interest to keep the energy and the flow as positive as possible.Unless you know your audience very well, you never know where a misplaced word could lead.Dont add in an extra variable that doesnt need to be there.This doesnt mean you have to keep your language G rated. Say what you need to say, in the way it needs to be said.5. Tell a storyI have watched so many rooms turn the ecksto after a well told story.Stories are how we relate to each other. Stories are what ignite our imagination and turn a thought into a feeling, an idea into reality.Whether you are explaining a data point, or hinting at the outcomes of a campaign, whatever the case may be, be descriptive.Use sensory words - touch, taste, smell, a feeling, a sound.Bring what you are talking about to life, and let the people in the room be part of it.A presentation, or a speech, or even a single sentence with an added element of story becomes an experience.This story originally appeared in Inc Magazine.You might also enjoyNew neuroscience reveals 4 rituals that will make you happyStrangers know your social class in the first seven words you say, study finds10 lessons from Benjamin Franklins daily schedule that will ersatzdarsteller your productivityThe worst mistakes you can make i n an interview, according to 12 CEOs10 habits of mentally strong peopleThe secret to speaking with confidence Mastering these 5 techniquesThe first time I was asked to give a client presentation, you could barely hear what I was saying.Between the stuttering, and the shakiness in my voice, and the constant dancing around what I was really trying to say, it was clear no one in the room was impressed.It has taken me years of practice to learn how, especially as one of the younger people in the room, to present myself well.1. Replace um with stronger filler wordsIn the moment, its hard not to say uh, um, while you try to gather your thoughts.Great speakers rarely ever use the distracting sound.But if you listen close, its not that they avoid pauses all together. They instead replace uh, um with stronger filler words.When you need to gather your thoughts, use words such as Now You See However, etc.The sentence, Um, I was thinking suddenly sounds much more definitive and powerful when sl ightly adjusted to You see, I was thinking.It sounds intentional, and intention instills confidence.2. Know the power of silenceThe best speakers know the power of silence.They are unafraid of letting the room wait for a moment. These speakers can sit calmly for a breath or two in total silence and feel comfortable - and actually use it to their advantage.Unintentional silence can be seen as a mistake, or a sign of uncertainty.Intentional silence, however, is seen as dramatic and even more important.Instead of seeing moments of silence as issues for concern, turn them to work for you by making your next statement that much more poignant. Use silence to lean into your points and your audience will hear you much more clearly.3. Do not make things complicatedThe quickest way to know whether or not someone knows what theyre talking about is to pay attention to how many industry-specific words they use.If their vocabulary is a fashion show of insider adjectives, chances are they are spe aking more from a place of theory and less from a place of experience.Great speakers and people who carry themselves well know how to get to the point.They dont dance around it.They dont throw around handfuls of buzzwords.They say what needs to be said and leave it at that.If you use language that leaves your audience confused, you arent impressing them. You are frustrating them. Keep it simple.4. Dont curseUnless youve built a reputation or a persona around your edgy delivery, nine times out of 10 its best to leave the sailors mouth at home.When it comes to leading a room, it is in your best interest to keep the energy and the flow as positive as possible.Unless you know your audience very well, you never know where a misplaced word could lead.Dont add in an extra variable that doesnt need to be there.This doesnt mean you have to keep your language G rated. Say what you need to say, in the way it needs to be said.5. Tell a storyI have watched so many rooms turn the corner after a w ell told story.Stories are how we relate to each other. Stories are what ignite our imagination and turn a thought into a feeling, an idea into reality.Whether you are explaining a data point, or hinting at the outcomes of a campaign, whatever the case may be, be descriptive.Use sensory words - touch, taste, smell, a feeling, a sound.Bring what you are talking about to life, and let the people in the room be part of it.A presentation, or a speech, or even a single sentence with an added element of story becomes an experience.This story originally appeared in Inc Magazine.