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Put yourself in the seat of the interviewer, first standing before you
is a person who holds their head high and looks directly in your eyes
as you speak, they greet you with a firm handshake before settling down
to the interview and answering in a firm but polite approach.
Next, in shuffles a person head hung low, eyes everywhere but on yours
when you say hello, shoulders hung low as they mumble good morning. Dithering
when it comes to offering a handshake, and answering questions in a feeble
quiet voice. Which person would you hire? Of course, the one who appears
and presents themselves in a confident manner with good body language
and communication skills.
Excellent communication and how we present ourselves plays an important
role in our lives, especially when it comes to how others see us. Experts
say that good communication is more than just words; it's composed of
different methods which rely on voice, words, tone of voice and other
non-verbal clues. Non-verbal clues include body language, the emotion
in the voice and the connection between people.
It's not what you say it's how you say it
We have all heard this saying of course but how much heed do we pay to
it, experts in communication skills however agree that it is true, how
we deliver the words is much more important than what we actually say.
A very dull speech for example read in an entertaining way with enthusiasm
will be applauded, and accepted, far better than the same speech delivered
in a monotonous voice with no enthusiasm behind it. There are many elements
to positive speaking and these can be classed as:
* Body language
* The quality of the voice
* The manner, directness and certainty
* Dress and appearance
* Being animated
* Eye contact
* Showing emotional content, energy and strength in delivering
* Speaking from the heart
* The setting, time and place
* Rhythm and pacing
* Attitude and confidence
* Good rapport
* Knowing what you want to communicate
* The clarity
* Centering and focusing
Improving presentation skills
As you can see from above, presentation and how you deliver the message
is of top priority, here are some tips for presenting yourself and getting
your message across in the very best light:
* Make sure you do your homework and know the subject
* Give yourself plenty of time to prepare for the situation
* Prepare outlines to develop your self-confidence
* Tape your presentation and watch the video, watch your body language,
do you appear confident?
* Be confident, relaxed and enthusiastic when speaking
* Practice speaking in a mirror
* Ask friends, relatives or family how confident you appear
While the tips above are especially helpful for those who have to deliver
speeches and talk publicly, they can also apply to those who don't have
to make a speech as such but can just be applied to normal day-to-day
situations. If you appear confident then you feel more confident, whether
this applies to making an all-important speech or presentation or just
dealing with a situation in everyday life.
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