Keep it Real
One of the reasons we have meetings is to look people in the eye, and see if we trust them. We get to turn our BS detector on, and assess everything about the person who is speaking. We look to see if they are fidgeting, sound confident or make sense.
We may not be able to put our finger on exact behaviours, but if something doesn’t look right we will spot it.
The three areas we focus on are your looks, how you sound and the words you use.
For the Look it’s all about:
- How you carry yourself – are you confident?
- Fidgeting – shows level of control
- Gaze – looking people in the eye or out the window
For sound it’s about:
- Volume – can we hear you?
- Speed – shows nervousness
- Inflection – confidence in message
For words it’s about:
- Answering the question – not avoiding the topic
- Sticking to set lines – we can all spot them
- Adapting message – changing your message when evidence suggests you should
If you want to be more influential when you speak, pay attention to how these elements come across in your message.
Would love your thoughts on this, leave a message below in the comment section.
