Week 87: Public Speaking Success – #AlphaFemaleFriday

Week 87: Public Speaking Success – #AlphaFemaleFriday

“ WEEK 87 / 133 – 133 WEEKS TO SUCCESS “

I think back to my days in school when I was a little kid doing an oral presentation for a book report in front of the class. I always aimed to stand out, such as when I did a summary of To Kill a Mockingbird by mimicking a dying bird—which if you’ve ever read a few pages of the novel, you would know immediately that it has nothing to do with the book. I acted this way when I was a child to hide the fact that either I wasn’t knowledgeable of the material or I was completely terrified out of my wits.

As an adult who now has a fulltime sales profession and whose job it is to talk to strangers, written or orally, to persuade them as to why they should chose us (fun fact: did you know I work for a hotel that is in the top ten on TripAdvisor? #shamelessplug), sometimes I still feel like that little kid standing in front of the class, simply asking them to love her speech. Everyone has strange quirks when they speak, and sometimes they can be loveable and forgiven, such as mispronouncing a word or interjecting a Freudian slip. Other times they can be downright painful, such as a former classmate of mine who once used the word “like” seventeen times within sixty seconds.

I’ve been told I’m a confident public speaker, but the secret behind my confidence is sometimes putting on that air of confidence. Sometimes I pretend to be on stage at a show, where my audiences are clients and colleagues. I’ve also been told I talk too quickly, especially when I’m nervous. People tend to talk fast when they feel like their audience is losing interest or they don’t feel confident about what they’re speaking about. It’s crucial to get feedback on your presentations so you know what your strengths and weaknesses are, especially before a big presentation. It’s better to get feedback from someone you know and trust than a stranger who will simply smile and show you the way out.

Cheers,

Kelly

@AlphaFemSociety tweets by @KellyRGonzales

About:

Each week, I take a tip from Lois P. Frankel’s book, Nice Girls Still Don’t Get the Corner Office, and explore how each of these tips affect myself and other women in similar positions on the road to becoming the women we want to be. There are far and few between who are a few steps behind me, and many more who are far advanced. I found that Lois P. Frankel’s advice applied to novice, intermediates, and experts alike. It helped me see that I was already doing right, served as a reminder to keep on doing what I was doing and how to keep that momentum going. The book also showed me areas where I could improve, and gave realistic tips to jump on board. There are a total of 133 tips, and explore one tip per week in a program I call: 133 Weeks to Success.

Join the movement using the hashtag #133WeeksToSuccess with posts which are posted every #AlphaFemaleFriday.