In my day to day life I speak to a ton of people.
Sometimes one at a time. Sometimes in very large groups.
Either way it is ultimately for the same reason. To share my passion and to be heard. After all it is what we ultimately want when we open our big mouths isn’t it?
Over many years of crafting this skill there are a few things I have learned that lead to success when speaking with others.
1) Your audience must see a need for topic or solution you are speaking about. This doesn’t matter if you are a Pastor, Trainer, Technical Advisor…etc. If the audience isn’t tuned into your passion, you are wasting your time.
2) Your passion for the topic must be 100% genuine. No exceptions.
3) You must always speak from a point of empathy and understanding. You cannot force people to listen to you, but, if you can empathize with them you will have a focused audience.
4) You MUST LISTEN first and always speak second. You never speak to a group or individual that you do not have first hand knowledge of. How do you get that? Simple, ASK a lot of questions.
5) Lose the ego. Very few people can get up in front of a large group and speak to it. Just because you can doesn’t mean you are special and if you think it does, you are an…..well, I will stop at that.
6) And finally, never fall into the “Everyone Should Listen” or “Everyone Needs My Advice” trap. It’s garbage and guess what…NO THEY DON’T. This is the quickest step to be marked as a used car salesman or magic potion pedler….no offense to those who sell magic potions.
That’s my quick 6 thoughts on Being Heard. Now it’s your turn.
What would you add to this list?
