10 Secrets To Sounding Confident
Those people who own a room every
time they speak? They have mastered these skills.
If confidence could be bottled, it
would be an overnight sensation. Confidence is a trait we admire in others and
lament the absence of in ourselves.
But while some people may indeed just be born confident, it’s a skill the rest of
us can easily acquire.
As
all the best performers and public speakers know, confidence is as
much about appearance as it is about feeling it. So where better to start
honing your confidence than in your voice, one of the most important tools you
have to give others a favorable impression?
As psychologist and author Larina Kase says: "True
confidence is not thinking that you’ll get a great result. It’s knowing that
you can handle any result."
Read on to learn
the 10 secrets of sounding confident. These expert tips will prepare you for
success in any professional or public-speaking situation.
The key to doing anything well is
doing it often and speech is no exception. When you’re nervous about a
difficult conversation, such as making the case to your boss for a raise, or a
scheduled talk in front of an audience, practice what you’ll say beforehand.
Public-speaking expert Dale Carnegie recommends using a real or stand-in microphone if you’ll be using one
during the actual event. Recording yourself is also a good way to figure out if
you’re using the best pacing and pauses. It also allows you to evaluate your
voice for clarity and volume.
People ask questions when they’re
missing information or want approval for an idea or decision. While there’s
nothing inherently wrong with either of those situations, both can make you
sound vulnerable. To project your ideas with confidence, don’t let your voice
creep upward at the end of a sentence. Maintain an even tone of voice and
finish your statements with periods, not question marks.
Carmine Gallo, author of Talk Like
TED, claims 190 words per minute is the ideal rate of
speech for public speaking. At this speed, your audience
will feel less like you’re talking at them and more like you’re having a
conversation over lunch. If you speak too slowly you run the risk of putting
your audience to sleep. And if you talk too quickly you can sound amateurish or
nervous, like you’re trying to get it over with as fast as you can. That’s why
190 words per minute is the sweet spot you should aim for.
The body language that accompanies
your message is just as important as the words coming out of your mouth.
Audiences perceive speakers to have more positive traits such as warmth and
energy when they use a variety of gestures, according to Carol Kinsey Gorman, Ph.D., an executive coach and consultant in nonverbal communication.
While some physical gestures, such as fiddling with clothing or touching hair,
can distract or convey a lack of confidence, using your hands when you speak is
a great way to communicate your excitement and knowledge about the topic.
Do you ever begin your sentences
with, "This is just my opinion," "Sorry," "I’m still
working on this," "Well," "I mean," or any number of
other negative or useless prefaces. Most people do as a matter of habit or
nervousness, but caveats and fillers can damage the confident tone you’re
trying to strike. Instead, say what you mean and nothing else. For example,
"We should take this pitch in a different direction," is much more
persuasive than, "Well, I think we should take this pitch in a different
direction, but I’m still trying to find out the best route to take."
By Sarah Landrum, Levo League
http://www.fastcompany.com/3048748/know-it-all/10-secrets-to-sounding-confident?utm_source=mailchimp&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=fast-company-weekly-newsletter-featured&position=6&partner=newsletter&campaign_date=07242015
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