“Trust is a powerful force that builds loyalty, increases credibility and supports effective communications. It gives you the benefit of the doubt in situations where you want to be heard, understood and believed.” From How Leaders Can Communicate to Build Trust, Ivey Business Journal
Let’s face it….likeable people are trustworthy. No one will buy into your ideas, products or initiatives if you aren’t likeable. Of course, you can’t force anyone to like you and you don’t want to sound insincere. Here are some ways to enhance the” Like-ability Factor” so that you are instantly more trustworthy through your speech, language, and voice skills.
Did you know that millions of Americans experience hearing loss in at least one ear? It seems to be true for me, too. I am in a crowded room with lots of noise in the background while trying to carry-on a conversation with my spouse or my colleagues. I am watching their mouths carefully (reading their lips) because I am not getting all the words! I seem to miss some words which affects the content of the message but I’m too embarrassed to ask them to repeat it again! This only happens when there is a lot of background noise.
When it comes to understanding someone who is from another culture who has a strong foreign accent, how do we listen more effectively to assure that the exchange is successful? Both the listener and the speaker are responsible for making sure that each party has understood. Both the listener and the speaker can use strategies to improve the situation. Here is a tip for the listener who is listening to the hard-to-understand person:
Be educated about the differences between languages. Certain languages have characteristics that are unique to that language. Since a language learner adapts what he knows about his language onto the new language, real differences in the way words are spoken occur. This fact can make the second language learner difficult to understand and can be a distraction to our ears.
There are many languages that don’t sound at all as rhythmic and melodious as English.
It’s that time of year again…holiday parties, festive decorations, and businesses competing for your money in an seemingly endless flurry of ads and discounts. I love this season despite a few hectic moments. I get to be with my family and sit down together to share meals and play games. If you are still considering gift ideas for your friends, colleagues or family, or perhaps you need ideas for games to play at the holiday party, I’d like to help you out by recommending some fun games that promote speech, language and cognitive skills. And these games are fun for both adults and children!
When if comes to appearing competent, articulate and qualified, small changes in the way you speak can boost your potential for business success. Speaking well may influence the listener on whether or not he or she wants to pursue a business relationship with you. Here are some common mistakes to avoid:
With the US political campaign season coming to a close, you may have noticed that a stark difference in communication styles exists between the top two candidates. Each candidate resonates with some audiences but not with others. This fact verifies what you already know: you can’t please everyone with your style. Often times when I give examples of style differences at my workshops, I hear complete opposite reactions to the same voice. One person loves the way a speaker communicates and someone else hates it. This dichotomy presents an interesting challenge for you, because as an executive speaker who is trying to resonate with your audience, you know that there are audience members that you just won’t be able to reach.
When I work with an executive on diction and pronunciation, I always check their jaw/tongue/lips for signs of tension. Usually, it’s visible. The lips are clenched a little and the mouth doesn’t open very widely. It’s no wonder that they sound like they are mumbling and are difficult to understand. In the case of tension and “tongue tied”, we often work on relaxation exercises to realize the potential the muscles of our vocal tract have. We practice an exaggerated mouth opening on counting and other automatic speech tasks. (Most clients find their jaw exhausted after our exercises.)
Then, we find ways to incorporate this skill into everyday activities. If my clients have young children, the first thing that I recommend is to read, “Fox in Socks” by Dr. Seuss.
Should business presentations be delivered as effectively as keynote speeches that are intended to inspire and engage?
Board rooms and staff meetings tend to be the most boring places to engage people. Reports are read and too many details on too many slides are presented. What can you differently?
Well, how about telling stories in your presentations to sell an idea, to present your stats and/or to motivate and inspire your staff. Your leadership skills and ideas will come through the best by telling compelling stories that resonate with your audiences. I’m inspired to tell you this because last night I attended the Moth in Pittsburgh and I want to share with you four tips…
If your job requires the use of your voice (and really whose job doesn’t?), you may not be able to perform at your peak ability with a hoarse voice. Nearly all of us use our voice in our daily routine: executives, teachers, speakers, sales men and women, shop foremen, nurses, lawyers, doctors. Taking care of your voice on and off the job and is very important so that your voice will be available to you at all times.
Vocal hoarseness occurs for a variety of reasons. In this video I give you 17 reasons with explanations of vocal abuse that may cause hoarseness or vocal fatigue (and they are preventable).
Do you ever feel like you have a great message to share but just can’t quite communicate it adequately to get people to act or be inspired? Maybe you feel no one listens and you don’t get the respect you want from your colleagues and managers. You aren’t alone if you do.
There are many potential reasons that interfere with a solid presentation. I like to think of these reasons as distractions. When a distraction is present, there is little hope of getting your message across because your listener will start paying attention to that. And once they are paying attention to a distraction, they are no longer listening to you. And once they are no longer listening to you, you have lost credibility and influence. Here is just one example of how a distraction interfered with a young executive’s credibility.
“Trust is a powerful force that builds loyalty, increases credibility and supports effective communications. It gives you the benefit of the doubt in situations where you want to be heard, understood and believed.” From How Leaders Can Communicate to Build Trust, Ivey Business Journal
If your job requires the use of your voice (and really whose job doesn’t?), you may not be able to perform at your peak ability with a hoarse voice. Nearly all of us use our voice in our daily routine: executives, teachers, speakers, sales men and women, shop foremen, nurses, lawyers, doctors. Taking care of your voice on and off the job and is very important so that your voice will be available to you at all times. 