No matter how wonderful your ideas, if you do not communicate them in ways that instill confidence and credibility, they fall on deaf ears.
When we talk about how you sound in presentation, we are not referring to what you say, but rather your word choices, your tone of voice, how fast or slowly you speak and how you organize your thoughts. Each contributes to you being viewed as knowledgeable, self-confident and competent.
Below are seven presentation mistakes women commonly make, both in the workplace and in their personal lives.
Ask questions instead of make statements
Compare, "What do you think about us doing...?" or "Have you considered...?" with, "I propose that we..."
Expressing your opinion as a statement is a direct and more appropriate way of communicating. If you feel your statement sounds pushy, add, "I am interested in your thoughts."
Use preambles
To soften their message, women add a jumble of words before getting to the main point, thereby diluting it. Before you open your mouth to speak, ask yourself:
What is my main topic?
What two or three points do I want the listener to consider?
Your mantra should be, "Short sounds confident," and practice your message using as few words as possible.
Explain
Shorten your explanations by 50 to 75%. When you have made your point, give two or three pieces of supporting information, then stop. The silence is their cue to respond. Voicing everything you know about the topic is unnecessary.
Ask permission
Inform others of your intentions rather than ask for their permission; it shows respect for the other person and it assumes equality. For example, "I just wanted to let you know I will be working from home tomorrow, I have a delivery coming," as opposed to, "Would it be all right with you if I work from home tomorrow? I am expecting a delivery."
If people frown upon your plans, they will let you know.
Apologize
When a top golfer missed some easy shots and played badly, he said, "I didn't play poorly, the wind and conditions were just against me today." It illustrates how even when confronted with obvious errors and poor performance, men will deny or minimize their mistake, rather than apologize or take responsibility.
We, on the other hand, do the complete opposite - even apologizing when we are not at fault.
It may be a conflict-reducing technique, but apologizing for small, accidental errors erodes our self-confidence and even worse, the confidence others have in us. Save your apologies for big mistakes and when you do apologize, do so only once, before moving into problem-solving mode. Refrain from apologizing where you are in a one-down position to ensure you will be liked. Regardless of the status of the other person, they are not better than you.
Use minimizing words
As children we are told, "Do not brag." As adults when we receive a compliment we say, "It was only...," or "I just..." Practice saying, "Thank you. I am pleased with how it turned out."
Fail to pause before responding
Give yourself time to reflect on your reply before answering. A pause before speaking suggests you have given your answer thought, it generates interest on the part of the listener and it gives the impression you are self-confident.
Practice counting to three before replying to a question, even if you know the answer. During the pause ask yourself what the main point is you want the listener to take away.
Some of this advice may feel awkward, but remember, how you look combined with how you sound, makes up 90% of the impression you create, so it is worth trying out.
