Be Conversational! The Key to Speaking with Ease

Yesterday at the "Become the Star You Are" TeleClinic, we talked about how to be as comfortable talking to a whole gaggle of folks as you are when talking to your best friend over a cup of coffee.

One of the keys is to be conversational. You don’t have to speak in some fancy, formal way when you’re talking to a group. You can be casual and conversational. In fact, it’s inviting and friendly when you do, AND you will feel so much more at ease!

Carla Kimball of River Way Enterprises says it perfectly in her e-newsletter. Here’s an excerpt from her "C is for Conversation" issue she sent to me back in May:

"I believe that much of the fear and anxiety associated with public speaking comes from how we choose to think about it.  If we think of it as a speech or a presentation we have to make  to an audience, we create all kinds of expectations for ourselves.  We have to be brilliant, show that we know our stuff, entertain  them, motivate and inspire them, keep them interested…

 "…What if you thought of it as a conversation rather than a presentation?  What if you simply spoke to one person at a time, whether you have  4 people in your audience or 400? Even if you are doing all the  talking, there is an energetic exchange that can happen if you are  open to it."

Carla is right on the money when she says that our fear and anxiety is directly related to how we choose to think about it (public speaking).

Remember, there’s no such thing as public speaking. There’s just speaking. And we do it all day long! Some wise guy said that somewhere. (In fact, if you know who said that, would you let me know? I’d love to give him full credit).

If you remember that speaking in front of a group can be as easy and natural and conversational as the kind of speaking you do all day long, you will start to challenge some of those old ways of thinking. Those old ways of thinking that aren’t serving you very well anymore.

You can sign up for Carla’s newsletter (which I’m really enjoying) at her website:
http://www.riverways.com/

Creating Conversation & Connection Now!

Last Friday, I posted a long article about HOW to answer the question, "What do YOU do?"

Well, this Thursday, June 15, at 5:00 pm Pacific, I will be giving a "Sneak Preview" of my upcoming TeleClass:

Yes, that IS a long subtitle, but I like long subtitles.

If you’d like to register, go right here.

This Sneak Preview is my warm up for the two-week, four session TeleClass I’m offering starting Tuesday, June 20.

To find out more about THAT TeleClass, click here.

In the two-week 20-Second Connection TeleClass, you will be able to

  •  Create your perfect, magnetic answer to the question “What Do You Do?” so that people are dying to know more!
  •  Learn how to express your answer in a way that creates an immediate, authentic connection with whomever you are speaking so that they want to do business with you.
  • Discover and play with the basic ingredients for creating any compelling marketing message, whether spoken or written.
  • Have a blast “rehearsing” your answer with other professionals so that you can refine it to be the most magnetic marketing message ever.

So, I hope to hear your voice on the Sneak Preview Call, and, if it’s a good match for you, I hope you’ll register for The 20-Second Connection TeleClass!

The 20-Second Connection:It’s Not WHAT You SayIt’s HOW You Say It

“Why does that happen to me? I don’t get it?"

My friend Trisha. She just got back from a dinner party.

“It’s the weirdest thing,” she continues, “Someone will ask me, “What do you do?” and it’s as if they just asked me to strip naked and do a dance. I feel this mild panic, and as I try to tell them about my coaching practice, the words kind of stumble out of my mouth, but they sound stupid and empty. I end up feeling small and embarrassed. And so disappointed in myself.”

Trisha is not alone. I know so many solo entrepreneurs who feel the same way. Even the most confident of the pack can feel cut off at the knees whenever they answer that notorious question: What do YOU do?

The truth is that when someone asks you that question, you’ve got about 20 seconds to answer, spark their curiosity, initiate a conversation and create a connection. In 20 seconds, you need to be immediately interesting and captivating while communicating the huge scope of what you have to offer. No wonder we feel pressured and on the spot!

How can you answer that question so that whoever is listening feels compelled to ask for more information? Can you say something that will never fail to initiate a lively conversation?

How can you create a real connection with someone in just 20 seconds?

Read more