A Key to Improving Your Speaking Skills

In working from home, most of us deal with people over the phone or in person on a regular basis. If you work exclusively on the internet, this may not apply to you, although I am sure you still interact with others in various aspects of your life. I have been learning about ways to improve my interactions with others, as you have noticed in my previous posts. But one area that I hadn't considered is how to improve my speaking skills.

I have definitely come a long way in my speaking ability - from my first scary experience as a graduating 8th grader giving a speech to a large crowd (over 500 people) [my knees were literally knocking together] to now, when I have no problem giving a 45 minute presentation to a large group or one-on-one . However, there is always room for improvement, and I've been trying out a new technique to help improve my skills.

The technique that I am trying and highly recommend to you is recording yourself. I heard this idea on a training call a few weeks ago, and then it was solidified in my mind while reading Jeffrey Gitomer's Little Green Book of Getting Your Way. Gitomer says, "Recording your presentation will reveal every blemish, every error, and every weakness. It will give you a report card on your effectiveness." I have to completely agree! In the few times I have been trying this out, I have been amazed - no, appalled - at how I sound! No, it's not horrible, but I never realized how many times I say "um" while leaving a voicemail. So I have begun to focus on not saying "um" or "ah" but rather getting right to the point. I plan to also record some of my presentations so that I can hear how I sound and improve upon those as well.

So if you work with people in any capacity, I highly encourage you to begin recording yourself. Perhaps you don't do presentations or long talks, but even if you leave voicemails or do a "30-second commercial", you can benefit from recording yourself to see how you sound. Then you can improve on what you are saying and how you are saying it!