Every month when I set out to write this blog, I try to address issues raised recently by clients. This past month I found myself repeating advice I have been giving since the start of my practice. Which should make me happy (at least from a business model standpoint!) knowing that there will always be a new crop of people who need this professional advice.
So I reached all the way back to November 2011 for this gem to share with you. It's even more relevant today, I think. In this New Normal of Zoom and virtual/live hybrid, there is a sense of disconnection. As a result, our speaking/presenting rhythm is disjointed--and often, faster.
My clients come to me for different reasons, but they express many of the same concerns. One I hear most often is, "I want to be able to think on my feet" or "I need to learn how to speak off the cuff." Clients are a bit dismayed when I tell them I have no magic wand to immediately make them extemporaneous geniuses.
I do have strategies that I share, which vary according to client and situation. But one general rule I tell everyone--slow down! The benefit of this is two-fold: it gives you time to think about what you are saying before you say it (which, we can all agree, is a prerequisite for sounding intelligent), and it helps you avoid those filler words which at best are a minor annoyance to the listener, and at worst make you seem disorganized and unfocussed.
Try slowing down today; what have you got to lose? Just a few "um"s, " you know"s, and (cringe) "like"s that you and your listener will not miss at all!
Plus ça change. . . !
