In a well-documented survey that asked Americans to name their number one fear, the runaway winner was…speaking publicly! “Death” was a distant second. This means more people would rather be the subject of the eulogy than the one delivering it.
Unfortunately, whether it is fair or not, much of how we are judged as competent leaders and successful, capable individuals is based solely on the way we communicate.
Don’t believe me? In another recent survey, people were asked to name the smartest living person. Now if I asked you the same question, whom would you respond? (And you can’t say yourself!) Typical answers I have heard include, Steven Hawking, Colin Powell, Bill Gates, and a few others.
The winner of this poll? Alex Trebec, the host of Jeopardy! Folks, he has all the answers written down in front him! But he answers them so smoothly, so confidently, like he has known the answers all his life.
Now I can’t turn you into a professional speaker within the constraints of a 500-word article. But I can leave you with a simple phrase to get you started down the path to effective and confident presentation skills. It is very simple.
Head, shoulders, knees and toes (knees and toes)
Laugh now, someone later today will catch you singing. I promise.
