Children are often shy and reluctant to speak in class. Avoiding speaking can become a habit that stays with youngsters as they grow into teenagers then adults. Lack of confidence in speaking can be a real handicap in the workplace.
Speaking habits are formed early in life, our parents, grandparents, carers then teachers and our friends can all influence how we feel about expressing ourselves when we speak.
Changing schools can mean a new accent will pop up and established children might tease children with a regional, or foreign accent.
A close friend contended with several house moves and attended various schools during their childhood, due to their father being re-stationed in the military, and they struggled with speaking out loud in class. They feared they would be laughed at because of their accent, they didn’t feel that they ‘fitted in’ and they were teased because of the way they spoke.
Over time, my friend was given elocution lessons and they began to gain confidence to speak in front of others. With the help of a professional voice coach showing how to pronounce words correctly and how to breathe before they spoke, gradually their confidence grew – public speaking became possible.
It is a real handicap to be afraid to speak in front of others. Often we imagine all sorts of reasons not to speak up – all eyes must be on us, everyone is listening, the room is hostile. Or is it?
When we are asked to speak in front of an audience it is often to share our unique knowledge or experience of something with others. Those present are listening to you to learn about the special information you have, it’s a sort of currency exchange. Rarely is anyone thinking about anything other than your content although perhaps their mind could wander to their own set of issues or problems.
Belief in yourself is one of the key strengths when you are asked to speak in front of an audience. Confidence in your own knowledge of your own subject is much more than half the battle and if you don’t feel you have enough knowledge, then it’s time to really get to grips with your topic so you are the owner of the information.
Being team leader or a manager of people demands many speaking minutes in a day. You could be speaking in a one-to-one, you could be speaking on a platform such as Teams or GoogleMeet to a range of people, or you could be reporting to senior management or the Board.
Take each speaking opportunity that is offered to you and learn to reflect on how you performed. Speaking too quickly is a common problem, speaking in a monotone is another speech issue and speaking too quietly or mumbling are other speech handicaps. By reviewing your speech performances, you will notice what you need to work on and if you need professional help to speak more clearly, contact a professional speech coach to help.
At Voice Synergy, we help our professional clients to grow in confidence, manage their nerves and speak with clarity and impact, whatever the size or structure of their audiences.
For more information, please get in touch, we’ll be delighted to help.