How does your VOICE hold up when presenting? Or when in a meeting delivering an important message or news?
Does it feel tight and tense? Does it feel dry and tickly… or perhaps it sounds hoarse or even shaky.
We often talk about how the quality of a speaker’s or presenter’s #voice, is so integral to the quality of how an audience experiences a person or presentation.
For all the above and more there are calmness and confidence exercises to do, food and drink to have or avoid, and stress relieving warm-up rituals to help.
As a certified #EQ trainer and coach though there is one more element that we need to consider. That our thoughts, feelings and actions are systemic processes. Hence the way we think about ourselves, our presentation or subject matter and even our audience, will affect how we feel about each. And that can affect the quality of our voice.
So what are you thinking about your audience? Are you intimidated? Nervous about making mistakes? Do you feel they are out to get you with questions that will trip you up?
Very often what we believe to be true is not accurate – so QUIT all that mind reading! Instead do your own research and find out as much as you can about the audience and their likes and dislikes, even their hopes and fears. Seek out people that have addressed the same crowd. When you FEEL you know them better, you will feel better and your voice will be all the steadier for it. So stop sending emotions in a tiz with inaccurate thoughts. It only affects our body and VOICE.
So what are you thinking about your presentation or subject matter? Do you think it is boring? Alarming? Too technical to be interesting?
If you feel bored, your audience will hear “bored”. If you are nervous about your content, they will hear it in your voice. Instead think about the WHY you need to speak or present. Is there a purpose? How can you value add? What is important and linked to the exciting future ahead for the team or organisation?
Get excited about your presentation. they will be so much more interested in hearing what you have to say. Or connect on an emotional level, if excitement is the wrong “tone” for your message, there are other thoughts that may help – to assist, to grow, to challenge for example.
So what are you thinking about yourself? Do you feel you are not good enough? Not Experienced enough? Not senior enough?
What we say to ourselves matter. KNOW you have been chosen to speak or present for a reason. It is a privilege! Embrace that. Make sure that self talk is all positive and remember quote often attributed to Henry Ford: “If you think you CAN you are right and if you think you cannot you are also right”
What other THOUGHS can we use to impact our FEELINGS and therefore our VOICE positively?
