Women's Business Coach: TIP OF THE WEEK: Speak
Posted by Vicki Donlan on Sun, Apr 25, 2010 @ 05:33 AM
Women entrepreneurs must learn that speaking up and speaking out is critical to their business success. You may have been told as a young child that "making too much noise" was what boys did and that a young lady, like yourself, was meant to look pretty and keep quiet. But that advice will not get you ahead in business and if you haven't started already to find your voice this blog will get you started. Learning how to speak well whether to one person, a group or to an audience of hundreds is something every businesswoman must master. When I was about five years old my Dad would ask me to get up and speak to whatever crowd was gathered. I never understood why everyone wanting to hear from me, but if my Dad wanted me to speak I did. Regardless of what I said I always got applause and learned at an early age I had something others wanted to hear. What a great lesson to learn at an early age. As I got older I continue to speak out and spent more time perfecting my message. I learned to speak with authority and conviction and others would take away substance from my talks. Now, I know what you are thinking - speaking in front of an audience is at the top of the list of most people's greatest fears. But you are never too old to learn how to do it well and particularly how to use speaking as a method of getting business. People like to do business with people who aren't afraid to speak out about what they believe - of course, in business you want to stay away from the controversial subjects of religion and politics. Start today by speaking to yourself in the mirror and expressing the reasons your business separates itself from the competition. Watch how your expressions can put an accent on the important points you want potential customers to pay attention to. Yes, how you are perceived when you speak is what separates the successful credible speakers from the "what the heck is she talking about" speakers. Finally, start speaking up at every event you attend. Ask questions of the speaker or make comments about the topics. Let others know that you have a voice and know how to use it. It won't take long before you will be seen as a person of substance. You see the majority still believes that they have nothing to say or that someone else can say something better than they can. You must, and will, become that someone and take the floor. Speak up. Speak out. People WILL listen.
HIRE VICKI TO SPEAK AT YOUR NEXT EVENT