The_Essential_Manager_s_Handbook

264 / SPEAKING AND WRITING

Improving your confidence

It’s one thing to know your material. It’s another matter entirely to

believe that you can get up on stage and speak with confidence to a group

of strangers. Understanding your message and having a well-organized

speech are important to your success, but so is self-confidence.

KEEP NOTES SIMPLE

Losing your place in

lengthy notes can give your

confidence a serious knock,

so make sure your notes are

quick and easy to use, giving

you the information you need

at a glance.

Improving your delivery Tip

Rehearsal will help improve your speech

and raise your level of self-confidence.

Simply knowing that you’ve been through

the contents of your speech more than

once builds familiarity and is reassuring.

It will also ensure you talk for the correct

amount of time. A run-through or two will

show whether you have too much, too

little, or just enough to say. Rehearsal

will also help you improve your

transitions. By practicing your speech,

you‘ll be able to identify the rough spots

and work on smoothing the transition

from one point to another and from

one part of the speech to another.

Using notes

The best speakers seem to

confidently deliver their speeches

extemporaneously, or “from the heart,”

without notes. Such speeches aren’t

really memorized word-for-word, but

rather are thoroughly researched, well

rehearsed, and professionally supported.

Many extemporaneous speakers will use

their visual support—usually PowerPoint

slides—to prompt their memories.

Others prefer to work from bullet points

on notecards, or use the full manuscript.

Whichever you choose, make sure that

your notes are simple, easy to follow,

and allow you to maintain eye contact

with the audience.

US_264-265_Improving_Your_Confidence.indd 264 30/05/16 3:04 pm