I was touched and excited the other day to be asked by my Marketing Consultant friend, Chantal Cornelius to write a piece for her newsletter Scribbles.
Chantal is organising a big 'do' on June 21st 'Driving Your Business' at the Formula One Conference Centre where the Williams team are based in Grove, near Wantage in Oxfordshire. She has invited me to put on a workshop to help delegates develop more persuasive, authoritative and compelling voices in sales meetings and at networking events.
I'm really excited since there'll be around 100 or so there and we can have real fun doing some tuning up of our voices together!
Anyhow, this is what I wrote for her: -
Words at Work - Can You Hear Me at the Back?
By guest writer Sarah McCloughry.
Well, you carefully prepared your questions. You listened closely to what the other person is saying. Your replies captured their attention. They seemed to hang on your every word. Then what? You know how some people come up with the answers but they don’t hear from their contacts again? When they open their mouths they drive people away. 38% of all communication is not in what you say, but in how you say it. Obvious really, but to communicate effectively, you need to be heard.
Depending on the networking meeting, you may be talking in a hall with 40 – 50 others. The noise level is high. Do you find that people keep asking you to repeat what you’ve said? Maybe your voice is too soft or too quiet? You may be nervous. If your listener’s eyes flick away too frequently or their head keeps turning, you are losing them. Are you are boring them? Maybe it’s because your tone is flat, monotonous, harsh or too high pitched.
So how do you connect with your listener? Think about your posture. If you are standing confidently, your listener will take notice. There’s much more space in your diaphragm to breathe easily. Relax your shoulders and stand like royalty!
Second, relax and take a deep breath. Your breath is the fuel that your voice runs on. If you have plenty of gas, you will be able to turn up the volume – it helps when others talk around you. Try lowering your tone and varying the tune pattern in your voice.
And, once you’ve started, pause. Your listener needs to absorb your words of wisdom. This also gives them a chance to respond. You create the chance of a two-way conversation. As you know, two-way conversations create lasting business relationships, which get you quality referrals and sales.
To find out more email sarah@anrah.co.uk and Sarah will send you her "Hot Confident Voice Tips!" Meet Sarah McCloughry, The Confident Voice Coach when she is presenting a workshop at the Driving Your Business event on 21 June at the Williams F1 Conference Centre (see the right hand column.)
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