People think that businesses run only on finances and analytics, but there is a whole set of soft skills it relies on. Business executives and leaders need effective speaking skills to propel their careers forward. Whether you’re negotiating a deal, networking with prospects, or meeting stakeholders, business and professional speaking is an essential component of professional success.
So much so that poor communication skills prove to be a professional roadblock. Lack of good public speaking skills and the confidence to represent your organization can cost you money or even your job.
It may sound bizarre initially but think about it. In today’s business environment, you are presenting every day in one way or another. It’s not always a team of 10 or an audience of 100.
Even in one-on-one interactions, you’re presenting your ideas with a motive to persuade the listening party. All of that is a part of public speaking skills
You may be wondering, isn’t public speaking for motivational speakers?
Yes and no.
Too often, we associate public speaking exclusively with motivational speakers when business owners, leaders, and executives also are in a passive speaking role in their organizations.
As a business leader, you practice public speaking almost every day in your work life. Think about your role in the different scenarios.
You’ll realize your profession is centered around business and professional speaking. As far as motivational speaking goes, it’s never a bad day to be a motivational speaker for your troops too.
The role of public speaking in the business is so intertwined you may not even notice it. But when someone with a fear of speaking in public (Glossophobia) has to address a board room full of stakeholders urgently, the importance of speaking for business becomes crystal clear.
As much as you despise it, you cannot avoid business and professional speaking as a business leader/owner. If you struggle with the fear of speaking in public, find yourself sweating profusely, tongue-tied, or your heart racing, you need to find a way to overcome it and crush every speaking opportunity.
That’s why our public speaking course is specially curated for business leaders to help them become the best version of themselves professionally. We help you be a better communicator and an effective leader.
If you still have doubts, you need to know Why Public Speaking Skills Are Must For Business Leaders.
After all, effective communication forms the backbone of business growth and success.
Learn How You Can Ace Your Meetings & Leave An Impression On Everyone In Room
Meetings require you to be present and put their best foot forward. Whether it’s a quarterly report, board meeting, investors meeting, etc.
These meetings are an opportunity to promote your ideas, make a room full of people see your vision and accept your suggestions.
If it goes well, it can be a game-changer for your business, but the opposite isn’t quite lucrative. It’s also true that here success often depends on the words exchanged along with the numbers in the files.
It makes one think, what if you lose a significant investment opportunity or a business deal because of your subpar oration?
You see, oration or public speaking has the power to change people’s perceptions. But it is less about the speaking role, and more about how you carry yourself, your body language, gestures, eye contact, and more.
To make people give you their undivided attention, you need to drip confidence in every move. It’s the first step to making a strong start and holding people’s attention.
One way to exude confidence is by learning the body language of pro speakers. Stand/sit tall with broad shoulders, chin up and make eye contact with people while speaking for business.
Secondly, you must know how to jump into meetings and pave way for your ideas. Otherwise, your higher-ups may assume that you either don’t have anything worthy to add or don’t care to engage.
When you have something to pitch, prepare yourself physically with the forward momentum of deliberate breath support and coordinated gestures. Lead with your loud and clear voice and present your opinion in a calm yet assertive way.
These are some of the unsaid yet obvious rules of public speaking one can only learn from an expert.
Learn How To Speak In Front Of Camera, Especially When The Room Is Full With People.
Press conferences come closest to the definition of public speaking. You’re in front of a room full of media professionals (your audience), and you have to inform or persuade them about a particular issue.
Companies hold press conferences when there’s an important announcement like a change in leadership, new product launch, etc., or to address a grievance, own up to a mistake, and several other reasons.
The stakes are quite high for the person speaking at a press conference, as one wrong statement can cost your company its reputation. This brief speaking role allows you to be the voice of the company. You have to embody that spirit in every word you utter.
So, it’s best to get ahead of the situation and learn how to speak at a press conference before you embarrass yourself in front of the camera.
Our One On One Public Speaking Coaching can help you overcome your fear of public speaking and you will definitely ace such business opportunities and events.
Learn How To Ace Presentation In Front Of Clients and C-suite
Business presentations are examples of business communication scenarios used by organizations differently. Fortunately, in business presentations, you have the most control and the most time to prepare what you’re going to say.
If you utilize your time & resources and prepare properly, there’s nothing to stop you from acing that presentation. A rule of thumb is to stick to a time limit. So you don’t bore your audience by overdoing it.
Often novice speakers get too excited at the opportunity that they try to position themselves as subject matter experts (even if they are not), squeeze too many agendas into one presentation, and use overwhelming audio-visual aids. That results in the biggest mistake of their career.
To avoid the traps of a business presentation opportunity, prepare as your life depends on it. Balance the information with visual aids & never misrepresent your expertise on the subject.
Have a business presentation coming up? Learn to ace it through our eight-week online public speaking course. We help business leaders tap into their inner Martin Luther King Jr. and receive honor & recognition.
You can also learn how to blow a presentation to the c-suite and prepare if you are planning to present in front of c-suite
Learn How To Network With People During Networking Events
Businesses thrive on networking events. They are all about finding people you can serve, asking for help, and contributing to their conversation. Most fruitful business relationships begin through networking events.
Needless to say, the stakes are quite high for a business leader. But connections are not made as easy as they sound. You need to be a fluent and practiced public speaker to position your business among the best and connect with people who can help.
So, take some professional speaking lessons to represent your business at a networking event successfully and make tons of new connections.
Learn to squeeze your business’s mission and value in conversations smoothly through effective storytelling. Prepare some small talk topics that give you a window into promoting your business.
Ultimately, you’ll be able to clearly share your perspective, make life-long connections, and build a strong community, all through effective public speaking skills.
If you are keen to take networking to the next level and represent your business with charisma, check out our online public speaking course for business leaders and maximize your potential.
Acquire More Clients By Learning How To Deliver A Sales Pitch
Sales are the foundation of every business. It forms customers, brings in revenue, leads to growth, and so on. Yet the word sales get a bad reputation. It’s true. People don’t like being sold to, but they love to buy.
So, how can you use that to your advantage while growing your business? The answer is to learn speaking for your business.
Every business owner or leader is a salesperson first and everything else second. So, you must learn to channel your inner salesman to drive revenue.
Look at every call or interaction as a sales opportunity. But you don’t want to be the person who can’t stop talking about their business at a party. How would you go about it then?
Think about the successful salespeople who sold bizarre items you didn’t ever think you’d buy. What did they do? They used their speaking skills to reel you into the conversation, impressed you with their body language, established authenticity, and made you trust them. That’s how people sell.
There are public speaking principles at the core of several aspects of a business. It’s true that if you can master public speaking, you can take your business to new heights.
If you’re a salesperson and depend on commissions to earn a living, it’s even more important for you to learn business and professional speaking and convert every lead into a customer.
Learn to persuade the potential client by making them trust you. It is only possible by finding common ground and speaking authentically. Ask questions, lead conversations, and keep them engaged.
Learn How To Interact With People During Interviews
When you’re interviewing people to join your organization, either as an employee or the owner, you’re acting as an extension of the company’s brand. Whatever you do reflects on how people perceive the company.
Most people look at interviews as a candidate’s responsibility to charm the employer. But it goes the other way around as well. As the interviewer, your job is to attract the best talent and make them want to work for you. Your persuasion tactics have to be at the top of their game and align with conversational skills.
Needless to say, public speaking skills are the anchor when interviewing and networking.
Learn How To Influence Your Colleagues and Teams With Power Of Your Words
As a business leader, you have responsibilities towards your team as well. It’s on you to keep them motivated & inspired and encourage them to work as a team.
Bill Gates once said—As we look ahead into the next century, leaders will be those who empower others.
Every business leader must learn to influence their colleagues with the power of words. That’s why good orators always make great leaders. So can you by learning professional and business speaking skills to address your team.
Close Deals, Generate Sales & Boost Your Business!
Whether you like it or not, your speaking skills contribute more than you realize to your business. It’s time to turn your words into profit, close deals, and grow your business—all through public speaking skills.
Whether it’s an in-house presentation or a press conference, when you speak, you should be able to hook the audience, change their mind, and sell your product/services to them.
It’s all possible through a growth mindset, the right framework, and an expert on your side.
Let us help you empower your business and motivate people to believe in your goals and mission through an impactful online public speaking course taught by an experienced TED Talk lecturer and USC professor.
We help client-facing executives, CEOs, and business leaders learn storytelling skills and use human dynamism in speeches to create desire & invoke action. Sign up today to unlock professional success!
Moreover, there are lot more benefits of public speaking course which you will explore and all those will definitely leave a good impact on your communication abilities.
The role of public speaking in business is quite an important yet subtle one. Every aspect of running a business, from managing & networking to sales, has public speaking skills at its core.
Learning business and professional speaking upskills every business leader with knowledge that they need to succeed.
Overall, here is a quick recap of areas where you can effectively grow with public speaking skills. Learn business and professional speaking to fill those areas where you think you lack behind.
Jeremiah O’Brian is a faculty member at the USC School of Dramatic Arts. His exceptionally diverse background – from gritty nuts-and-bolts firefighting to film and theatre credits and accolades – is bolstered by his several graduate degrees.
