While you can’t go very far in public speaking if you do not know your material well – and that means inside and out – what will capture your audience is your delivery. A colorful, dynamic delivery determines whether your audience will pay attention to you or not. That is not to say that your words, your actual material, are not important. They are. Many people are aware that a dynamic delivery sells. My question for you, however, is whether you should speak from head or from your heart?
In order for people to listen to you, to learn from you and possibly to buy from you, you need to speak to them with the words in your heart and not with the words in your head. Your words are only the vehicle; what comes from your heart is the power for those words.
Speaking from your heart means honesty because if it coming from your that area which distinguishes right from wrong, then it should be true. Speaking from your head does not require honesty and usually says little about you as the speaker. When you speak from your head, you will say what you think the audience wants to hear. While that may be good for your business in the short run, it is a poor investment in the long run.
By keeping your delivery conversational, your heart will speak from the knowledge that is in your head. Your audience will value your openness and a personal connection will develop. Just as in good article writing, including anecdotes and true stories relevant to your topic in your presentation, will help solidify that connection.
Your audience must believe that you care about them. If you are speaking from your head, that message is not coming through. This is why a memorized delivery is never a good idea. When you spit out a pile of memorized words, you are not talking to your audience, you are talking at them.
It is important to understand that no matter what your service or your product, it will not be right for everyone. Knowing your limitations in that respect will be better for your business because as you become more established in public speaking, more invitations will result due to referrals. Word will spread. A delivery intended just to sell product is not the image you want to project. Speaking from your heart will establish the honesty, the credibility and the accountability that will further your success in your field.
If you would like to participate in Nancy’s next Voice & Presentation Skills Workshop, April 7 & 8, in Mt Laurel, NJ, visit Voice Training Workshops for more information.