“A confused mind says no but a clear mind says go.” Craig Valentine
I remember my very first speech when I had newly arrived in the United State. I had arrived at a new job and stood in front of a group of successful sales people. I was asked to introduce myself and remembered every second of the 3 minutes as if it were three hours. I had never done this before and had no idea where to begin. My mind was so full of information, thinking all of it was important to share that I truly didn’t know where to begin. I ended up providing too much information and felt I hadn’t introduced myself or really shared who I was. It was clear the audience was confused to the point of asking a lot of follow up questions to get clarification. Needless to say, I was very embarrassed and frustrated. It would have been easy to share that English wasn’t my first language, but that would have been an excuse that would have hurt me the most. Instead, I made the choice that this was a “Golden Opportunity” to improve connection with others and communicate with influence.
If you are planning to launch into any of these areas or currently are a public speaker, in sales, feel you need to increase on making an impact in meetings, presentations or interviews, read on, as this can benefit you. In the next three minutes you are about to learn some basic fundamental skills about the Power of Speaking with Influence.
By the way, just to finish my story, 15 years after that defining moment, I now have the honor to coach and mentor thousands of professionals and have been invited to speak with highly influential people throughout the world. I am fortunate to work with talented sales teams in offices regionally, as a sales manager and executive coach, speaker and advisor. This brings me great pleasure as I continue to develop and define my efforts as a sales manager, executive coach and speaker.
5 Fundamentals to Speak With Influence:
- Tell Your Story – You create an invaluable connection when your audience feels your emotion and can relate to your story through similar experiences, whether it’s a challenge, opportunity, or growth. Let your story lead to their
“Connecting with the audience isn’t just a skill, it’s an art.” Farshad Asl
- Make Your Point – While you share your story, make clear strong points that frame what you’re telling your audience. Your audience will remember you through the story you tell because of the “Golden Nuggets” shared.
Golden Nuggets = The Value Added to the audience
- Use Emotion – As you take your audience through the journey of your story, help them to feel the emotion. Use humor to soften and help illustrate the challenges, ending with a powerful lesson and a positive end to the story. Leave people with a feeling of optimism and eagerness to go forward with their journey. Uncover emotional moments within your story that keep the audience engaged and interested.
- Visual Goes Before Verbal – You’ve heard the phrase “A picture is worth a thousand words”. It’s so true! Use visual aids but keep them simple. If you are speaking about “Dreams”, show a “mission statement”, “dream board” or a symbolic picture. If you are speaking about “Increasing Sales” show them your “Why”.
- Close with a “Call to Action” – Speaking with influence requires you to conclude your speech with a “Call to Action”. This is often overlooked yet so critical to everything you’ve said up to this point. Make it clear and simple, customized to each audience. Include a strong invitation to have your audience act upon it. Focus on clear results with a sense of urgency to act NOW.
Additional examples might include:
- adopt a new business process
- increase month-end sales
- sponsorship and event
- attend a sales meeting or workshop
- donations or funding for research
- join a club or organization
It’s important to stop in our busy lives and remember that God has a plan for each of us. We all have an individual purpose to be our best in his great plan. There will be set-backs that occur from time-to-time. Do not let them get in the way of your talents and gifts that have been given to you.
Most important, never lose hope and never give up! You have a unique story to tell to the world.
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