Although speaking in public is one of the most common fears that people face, speaking to your boss or to the leadership of your company is arguably even more common. It does make sense that speaking to those who hold your career in their hands can be a nerve-wracking experience. But it does not always have to be that way.
As with speaking to anyone in authority, it takes the right set of skills and practice to create a more comfortable situation. This in turn will help get your message across while lowering the tension that you are probably feeling.
What follows are 10 keys to speak confidently to leadership. You can employ any or all these keys in your communication efforts for maximum effect.
Get to the Point
In other words, start your remarks with what will benefit the company. This means putting the benefits right up front in your remarks. Structure the presentation as the goal being achieved and then explain how it will happen.
The actual details of how to obtain the goal is secondary, but important support of the main benefit. Put the outcome first when you are making a presentation to your leadership.
The details of how it happens will support the results and provide more information. Just remember not to linger too much on the details. Your focus should be on what needs to be done, not all the nuances of how it should be accomplished.
Speak Confidently and at a Moderate Pace
One of the biggest issues that nervous speakers face is going too quickly. You lose credibility the more you rush through your words. Instead, uses pauses at the right points in your presentation.
This will highlight important points you want to make. Plus, it provides time to calm down and gather your thoughts to present the next point.
Also, try to avoid using filler words such as “um”, “you know”, and the like. That will help gain credibility as well.
Understand the Audience
The more you know about the people who are there, the better you can hone your presentation. This means using language that best relates to the leadership, so you can make your points the most effective.
This means that the amount of jargon you use, which are words associated with specific knowledge, should be calibrated to the audience. When in doubt, make the words more general and relatable.
Body Language Matters
What you say can be greatly affected by how you appear. Even in today’s virtual world where all people can see is your face, you still must display a strong body language on the screen. You can do this by having the camera at eye level, sitting up straight, and keeping your hands out of sight.
Hand gestures are okay if they help make your point in a meaningful manner. Just remember not to slouch, lean too far back, or look like you want to be anywhere but where you are at.
Create a Story
Telling a story that backs up your point is one of the most effective means of communication. Relate an example that puts your remarks into focus, so the audience understands what you are trying to get across. For example, instead of talking about issues in a general way, use a story that illustrates what the issues are doing in the workplace.
Cite a specific interaction with a customer instead of just saying something is a problem. By doing that, it will hammer home the point right away and back up your argument to leadership.
Be Positive
It’s true that fear is a good motivator but being positive is much more effective. When presenting issues that are facing the company, you should craft the presentation as if this is an opportunity and not a dire warning.
Even if the problems you are addressing are dire, by shaping the presentation as a positive, you can provide direction that inspires the leadership. This will help get your points across better and even motivate action to take place.
Be Kind
It can be easy to devolve into rudeness or not being mindful of your audience. By taking the approach of being kind, you not only improve the presentation, but you also instill confidence as well. Rudeness or being curt only raises suspicions that you are not confident in what you are saying.
By taking the kind approach, you bolster the confidence behind the words. You create the impression that what you are saying is not only real, but that it can withstand criticism.
Watch the Uptalk
Uptalk is when your voice goes up an octave or the tone is pitched higher which makes your sentences sound like questions. Uptalk can eat away at the authority you have built up in your presentation. Instead, work to bring the tone down at the end of your sentences.
Getting rid of uptalk is not easy, but if you practice your presentation as if you were politely giving your dog commands, that can certainly put you in the right place. Just try not to tell your audience to “sit”.
Keep It Concise
You can get to the point quickly, but you can also stay there too long. Be concise with your presentation so that it gets across everything you want in the shortest amount of time. You should speak at a moderate pace and not rush through your words.
But less is more when making your presentation. Being concise means you can cover a lot of ground in a short amount of time. You can leave time for questions at the end.
Interact When Necessary
For the most part, you should present your material in a compact, concise manner to get your points across. But you should also be prepared for questions. Interaction is a vital part of communication. It is generally best to have such interactions at the end so that your entire presentation can be made in a timely fashion.
However, you may incorporate short questions to your audience that helps you make a better connection. For example, questions such as “how many of you have experienced issues with …?” can invoke a quick response that helps broaden out the impact of your presentation.
