Voice of Influence: How to Project Confidence and Authority

The most confident person can have difficulties speaking in public. The same is true if you are giving a presentation on Zoom or Skype. Here are some proven methods for being perceived as an authority in your field. You are seen as a confident public speaker who looks at ease and is comfortable in front of an audience.

 

Dress for Confidence

 

Do you have a power suit? What is an article of clothing you wear that makes you feel confident and capable? That's what you want to wear when you speak in public. You should dress appropriately for the situation but also wear clothes that make you feel in control and confident.

 

Ask Your Audience for Input Beforehand

 

Knowing what your listeners want to hear can lead to more confidence. You won't get caught off guard with a question you aren't prepared for. Ask your audience what questions they want answered in your presentation. Let them know you appreciate any input. This helps you feel more confident for a couple of reasons. 

 

Your audience immediately respects you. You asked them for their help, and they will appreciate that. It also gives you a list of things you need to research or otherwise understand before giving your speech.

 

Have Someone Introduce You

 

Do you have any titles or accreditations relevant to the presentation you will be giving? What experiences do you know your audience will be interested in? People will perceive you as a more confident and capable speaker when someone they respect introduces you.

 

Your audience should be able to identify the person who welcomes you to the speaking event. It is all the better if the person who introduces you is famous or has succeeded in a way that relates to your audience or subject matter. You are seen as a person of achievement who commands respect when a respected authority introduces you to a relevant field.

 

Go Virtual with Your Presentation 

 

Public speaking is tough. What if you took the whole "public" out of the experience? You are still communicating live with your audience. Except when you go virtual, you can do it from the stress-relieving comfort of your own home. You go virtual with your speech instead of standing before a group of people in a live, in-person environment. That can go a long way to making you feel comfortable.

 

Record Your Speech Instead of Going Live

 

How comfortable and at ease will you feel with an audience of zero? Record your speech, and you can repeat the process as many times as you need until you get it right. That doesn't happen with an in-person presentation. You have only one chance for success, which can put much pressure on you. Record your presentation rather than giving it in a person-to-person format if that's an option.

 

You should practice for perfection. Get to know your material inside and out. Then, you use these tips for a better public speaking experience and will be perceived as a confident authority figure in your field.

 

10 Public Speaking Tips (Infographic)

 

How to Communicate More Confidently

We have many opportunities to demonstrate our confidence or otherwise, but perhaps the most obvious example is when we are talking to an individual or a group.

 

Those who have low self-esteem or confidence are likely to mutter, to stutter and to avoid eye contact. Those who are highly confident and sure of themselves will speak loudly and proudly.

 

So with that in mind, how do you go about communicating as confidently as possible and helping to ensure your message comes across well while also making you look sure of yourself and of what you’re saying?

 

Speak Slowly

 

The first tip is to talk more slowly. When we are nervous, we will often speak more quickly without even realizing it. This is a result of neurotransmitters being released which slow our perception of time and which encourage rushing.

 

Simply slowing down then will greatly increase your sense of calm and authority. Not only that, but by giving people longer to hang on to what you’re saying will let your words have more impact and drama. This also suggests a trust in what you’re saying – it shows you aren’t worried people will stop listening – whereas rushing makes us seem like we’re worried people are just going to move on!

 

Watch any big celebrity talk on TV and you’ll notice they tell lots of stories and they always build suspense and use rhetorical questions. They’ll use repetition and leave big gaps. This takes huge confidence, but if you can pull it off, then you’ll have an audience eating from your hands!

 

Make Eye Contact

 

One of the most important things you can do to demonstrate confidence as you speak is to maintain eye contact. This is true if you’re speaking with just one person and it shows that you aren’t afraid to meet their gaze and to speak to them as equals. It’s also true if you’re speaking to a crowd however, in which case you need to look at everyone and to ensure they are all following and included.

 

Be Congruent

 

Finally, remember that communication is only somewhat verbal. More of what we mean is conveyed through body language and this is why it’s so important that your body language reflects what you’re saying. Be passionate and let your arms do the talking along with the words you’re saying. You’ll appear more honest, more confident and far more engaging!

 

How to Deal With Toxic People

If you have chronically low self-esteem, then there’s a good chance that this came from other people. 

 

The nasty thing about insecurity, jealousy and low esteem is that they are contagious. If you aren’t confident in yourself, then it will often cause you to become destructive and mean. You might put other people down in order to feel better about yourself and you might try to prevent others from fulfilling their potential because you don’t want to be left behind – even if this is happening in an unconscious way.

 

At the same time, low self-esteem can mean you talk other people out of taking chances or following their dreams. This is not out of malice: in this case it simply comes down to the fact that you don’t have much faith in the ability that anyone has to change their fate.

Chances are that you’ll know people like this in your life and that they could be the reason for your low self-esteem and confidence. Most upsettingly, there is a better-than-average chance that this came from your parents.

 

The number one way to raise a happy and confident child is to love them unconditionally and to believe in them 100% and support them 100%. You need to be confident in yourself to do this.

 

So, what do you do now if you’re trying to fix your low esteem but you’re surrounded by people who are dragging you down?

 

The Best Advice

 

The tip you’ll often read is that you should simply cut off contact with toxic or destructive people.

 

I’ll say that you should take this advice if anyone is being purposefully cruel or belittling. You don’t have time in your life for malicious people.

 

But if someone is doing it unintentionally, you shouldn’t just write them off: chances are they simply need help.

 

What you do in the meantime is to surround yourself with more people who are positive, supportive and who do love you unconditionally. And you always remember to view what the toxic, negative people say through a lens of logic and reason. If they are putting you down, is it because they have a genuine point? Or is it because they themselves have low esteem?

 

Finally, try to build them up too. That means you should ask them why they feel the way they do and do everything to support them. You can pull each other out of this funk, that is what friends are for after all!

 

Body Language For Confident Speaking

It’s not just about the words that come out of your mouth. The body language that you use goes a long way towards making you a more confident speaker. Some people think that body language is only something that you should pay attention to when you are speaking in public but this is not the case.

 

The Importance of the right Eye Contact

 

Making and maintaining the right eye contact is important in all speaking situations where you can see the person or people that you are speaking to. If you do not make the right eye contact then the words that come out of your mouth can be largely irrelevant. Have you ever had a conversation with a person that didn’t make eye contact? It is not a pleasant experience.

 

You need to ensure that you only make eye contact with someone for a certain amount of time. If you do this for too long it will seem like you are staring at them and they will not be comfortable with this. With one-on-one conversation the limit for eye contact is around 9 seconds according to scientific research.

 

One of the benefits of making good eye contact is that you can gauge the mood of the other person or people. If they seem bored with your speaking then you can change your approach to get them back onside. 

 

Use the Correct Hand Gestures

 

What is the link between hand gestures and confident speaking? When you use the right hand gestures you can provide the necessary emphasis to what you are saying. It is a good way to amplify particular points that you are trying to make for example. 

 

Making the right hand gestures will also help you to be perceived as more believable and genuine. Be careful not to overdo it with hand gestures though. Some speakers use so many hand gestures when they are speaking that their audience becomes more focused on the movement of their hands than what they are saying.

 

Facial Expressions are important

 

A facial expression will be used by another person to predict your mood. They are also useful to identify intent and emotions. Using the right facial expression will help your audience to really understand the message that you are delivering.

 

An example of this is to smile at an appropriate time. Getting your fascial expressions right will take a bit of practice and you need to do this. The use of the right facial expressions will give you more confidence when you are speaking.

 

Identify and eliminate bad mannerisms

 

There are a number of bad mannerisms that will not help you in your quest to become a confident speaker. We all have bad habits that we have strengthened over the years and you can end up using a bad mannerism when you are speaking without even realizing it.

 

A classic example of this is to keep saying the same words over and over. Some people use the word “like” a lot when they are speaking and others will succumb to those “ums” and “ahs” which can be so annoying for an audience.

 

The best way for you to identify if you have any bad mannerisms that will affect your speaking is to record yourself. You can then play back your performance and look for things that you are not happy about. It can take a lot of effort to eliminate a bad mannerism but it is important to do this.

 

Confident Speaking Through Voice Inflection

You may not be aware that you can speak more confidently simply by changing the inflections that you use with your voice. It will probably take you a while to practice this until you get it right but it will certainly help. Using different voice inflections will make your audience believe that you are a confident speaker.

 

We have some good news for you here. It is not necessary for you to change your voice completely to use the right inflections. Only small changes are required to your normal speaking voice to make you sound a lot more confident to those that are listening to you.

 

Use your Diaphragm to Speak

 

The most successful speakers use their diaphragm to speak. They do this because breathing using the diaphragm puts them in more of a relaxed state. It is easy to learn to breathe using your diaphragm and then you can start to speak from it as well.

 

A Smile will change your Voice Inflection

 

When you smile during speaking you are naturally going to change the inflection in your voice. We are not suggesting that you smile throughout your speech as this can be perceived as being insincere. Just smile at the right time to make the voice inflection change.

 

You only need to smile a little to change your voice inflection. When you get this right people will be able to hear you smiling which sounds odd but it is true. The act of a little bit of smiling when you are speaking will make your voice sound a lot more friendly. It is a great way to put your audience at ease.

 

Smiling when you are speaking will also give you a great confidence boost.

 

Practice Enunciating your Words

 

You want to avoid mumbling when you are speaking as this does not sound confident at all. In order to get your message across to others it is important that you enunciate your words. Mumbling your words can make you feel insecure about your speech and your audience will certainly pick up on this.

 

One effective way to enunciate your words is to place a wine cork between your teeth. With the wine cork in place you need to read something out loud. We recommend that you record this. Now remove the cork from your mouth and read the same message out loud again. You should notice a big difference in your enunciation.

 

Find your Natural Voice Pitch

 

If you can speak using your natural pitch then you will be the most confident. First, you will need to identify your natural pitch. An effective way to do this is to close your mouth and then let your lower jaw drop. Make sure that your lips remain closed together.

 

Next you want to make a humming sound beginning with a high pitch and then working your way down to the lowest pitch. As you do this, use your fingers to feel the vibrations on your lips. The strongest vibrations will come when you are humming at your natural pitch.

 

Lower your Voice for more Confidence

 

There have been a number of scientific studies that show lowering your voice slightly can make you sound more confident. The reason for this is that people tend to respond more favorably to people that have a deeper voice. 

 

Increase Confidence Using The Power Of The Pause

Successful speakers know about the power of the pause. You can use pauses with your speaking in any situation. It works well for one-on-one situations as well as for public speaking in front of an audience. 

 

We encourage you to master the power of the pause. Knowing when to use the pause and how long to do this will help to increase your confidence as a speaker. Here are some of the main reasons why you need to use the power of the pause:

 

It will give your Confidence a Boost

 

By taking a short pause at the right time when you are speaking this will help you to feel more comfortable and in control of your delivery. There are people that never seem to take a breath when they are speaking and they do not tend to be confident speakers.

 

Rushing what you want to say is not going to have a good impact with your audience. In fact, speaking in a rushed way can really irritate people. By taking appropriate pauses you will come across as much more confident and relaxed.

 

Control your Body with Pauses

 

Nerves can build up when you are speaking and when you take an appropriate pause for breath you will be able to calm these nerves. It is essential that you are in control of your emotions when you speak and that you do not feel anxious or tense. With a pause you can take back control and alleviate negative problems.

 

Being anxious or tense is very likely to deflect your focus. You are going to concentrate more on the pain of the tenseness rather than your delivery. Practice your speaking and record this. Use the recordings to identify the best times to use pauses.

 

Using a Pause can add Energy

 

When you pause at the right time you will be able to take a deep breath which will help to restore energy in your body. This additional energy actually transfers to your speech and can make it a lot more powerful. 

 

You have just made a powerful statement and you want your audience to fully take this on board. What do you do? Take a pause just after delivering the statement. This can add a lot more excitement to your statement for your audience.

 

Use Pauses to Increase Engagement

 

Engaging with your audience is very important and using pauses at the right time can help to increase engagement. Nobody wants to listen to a speaker that just rambles on and never seems to take a pause. This is a surefire way to disengagement with an audience.

 

If you sense disengagement creeping in with your audience then you can use a short pause to address this. Pausing even for a short time will help you to think and make changes to your approach. Audiences will appreciate you doing this and perceive you as a confident speaker.

 

Questions are a good way to increase engagement with your audience. When you ask a question, you need to pause for a short time to enable them to answer. Your audience needs time to reflect on what you tell them and pausing at the right time will help them to do that.

 

The Importance Of Breathing For Confident Speaking

If you don’t get your breathing right then it is going to be a real challenge for you to speak with confidence. Fortunately, there are a number of things that you can do to breathe correctly when you are speaking no matter what situation you find yourself in.

 

In this article, we will discuss the importance of breathing properly so that you can be more confident with your words. There are plenty of resources online such as YouTube videos that will show you how to breathe properly. Most people do not breathe properly especially when they speak so this is worth your while paying attention to.

 

Learn to Breathe using your Diaphragm

 

The most confident speakers use their diaphragm to breathe. They do this because they know that it will make them feel the most confident when they are speaking. It is a lot easier than you may think to learn to breathe using your diaphragm and it should not take you long to master this technique.

 

At the end of the day, breathing using your diaphragm is just a matter of paying attention to the way that you inhale and exhale. When you are inhaling you will want to ensure that your stomach rises. For exhaling, you need to make sure that your stomach falls.

 

Breathing from your diaphragm will make you feel a lot calmer and will enable you to focus more on what you are saying. Once you have mastered breathing using your diaphragm you will be able to speak from your diaphragm as well. 

 

Speaking from your diaphragm will add a level of confidence to your voice that your audience will certainly pick up on. So, start practicing breathing using your diaphragm today so that you can be more relaxed when you are speaking and also add the right inflection to your voice that your audience will appreciate.

 

Relax your Throat with a Jaw Massage

 

Having a relaxed throat when you are speaking is very important. Your words will be a lot clearer and easier for your audience to understand when your throat is relaxed. Massaging your jaw regularly will help you to relax your throat and this is an easy thing for you to do.

 

For the best jaw massage, you need to open your mouth a little. This should be just enough so that you are able to part your teeth. Hold this position and then use your fingers to gently massage your outer jaw.

 

When you first try to massage your jaw, you may find that it is a little painful to do this. Be sure to persevere here as the regular massaging of your jaw will encourage your mouth to open wider. With your mouth open wider, there will be an increase in confidence with your voice.

 

Slow down your Breathing

 

It is a natural thing to be nervous before you have to make a speech or hold an important conversation with someone. As you progress with your confident speaking then this should happen less often but it will always be there.

 

When you are nervous you are going to breathe much faster. This will not help a confident delivery. You need to learn to slow down your breathing so that you can deliver your words in a confident manner. Speaking too fast is never a good idea.

 

The Benefits Of Speaking With Confidence

In order to make the successful transition to where you are now as a speaker to being able to speak with total confidence you are probably going to have to make a number of changes. These changes will require you to take consistent action every day. You will need to keep your motivation levels high to keep going with this.

 

When you know the true benefits of being a confident speaker this will inspire you to take consistent action. In this article, we will reveal the major benefits to speaking with confidence so that you can get off to the right start.

 

Improve your Reputation Personally and Professionally

 

When you have mastered the art of speaking with confidence you will see significant improvements in both your personal and professional life. You will be a much more effective communicator and will be able to persuade one person or a number of people to your way of thinking.

 

If you want to get ahead at your work or in your business then confident speaking has a major role to play here. People that succeed in their professional life will speak with confidence more often than not.

 

Communicate with Conciseness

 

Nobody wants to listen to someone that rambles on and on repeating themselves several times. Here are some people that just like the sound of their own voice and will talk for talking sake. This is not something that you want to do.

 

Confident speakers ensure that their messages are as concise as possible. They respect the time of others and never want to ramble. Another benefit of speaking with conciseness is that it will preserve your precious time as well.

 

You will gain Trust and Respect

 

People find speakers that are confident very attractive. It doesn’t matter if you are speaking one on one or to a large audience. You will gain a lot more trust and respect from others when you speak with confidence.

 

Trust is so important in life. This is true in business situations and personal ones too. Relationships are built on trust and as a confident speaker you will engender trust with the people that you communicate with.

 

People will perceive you as an Expert and Authentic

 

It is natural for people to gravitate towards experts when they need help. As a confident speaker you will be much more likely to be perceived as an expert. This can help you significantly in the business world as people trust experts and will usually do business with them.

 

Coming across in a sincere way when you are speaking is also very important. People want to know that you are the genuine article and speaking with more confidence will help you to achieve this with them.

 

First Impressions are so important

 

When you speak with confidence you will be able to make a very good first impression with the people that you meet. You want to be memorable with the people that you communicate with and when you can speak with confidence you will have a much better chance of doing this.

 

Confident Speakers are Persuasive

 

Being able to persuade an individual or a group of people to do what you want them to do is a skill that many people desire. As a confident speaker you will have a head start here as you will gain trust and respect easily. 

 

Proven Tips For Public Speaking Success

If you want to be a successful public speaker then there are a number of proven tips that you can follow. We have some of those tips for you in this article. Public speaking is nowhere near as difficult as some people think it is. By using the right techniques, you can be a very confident public speaker.

 

Add Persuasion to your Public Speaking

 

When the opportunity arises for you to make a speech in public then we recommend that you go for it. It is one of the best ways to generate more leads and sales for your business when you do it right. Your aim should always be to provide an inspiring and persuasive speech to your audience.

 

We recommend that you always start with your desired outcome in mind when you are putting your presentation together. Think about what you want your audience to do when they have heard you speak and how you can persuade them to do this. 

 

The key to persuading your audience is engaging with them. You need to ensure that the content of your presentation is what your audience wants and that you entertain them as much as you can. Be sure to maintain good eye contact and smile when you are presenting. Use good calls to action in your presentation to guide your audience to do what you want them to.

 

Interact and check for Feedback

 

Interaction is something that you must build in to your presentation. Nobody wants to sit and listen to you for a long time without be able to contribute no matter how good of a public speaker you are. A method that works well with public speaking is to ask your audience a question at the end of each of your sessions.

 

If you are presenting to a live audience then you can give them a choice of answers and then ask for a show of hands to see who chose the right answer. With a webinar, there will be a chat box that attendees can use to share their answer with you.

 

At a live event you can see your audience and with some online events you will be able to see at least some of them. It is important that you focus on your audience in order to gauge their mood. If you are seeing bored faces then you need to change things up. You must be flexible when you are a public speaker.

 

Don’t try to be someone else

 

Some presenters will try to be someone else at a public speaking event. This is usually because they have some insecurities about who they really are. This is hard to maintain and we recommend that you do not do this.

 

Instead, concentrate on being yourself. Letting your personality shine through will be appreciated by your audience. Tell them a good back story that supports your true character. This will help to build trust with your audience.

 

Have a great Start and a great End

 

Starting your presentation off in the best way is critical. Use different techniques to get the attention of your audience such as anticipation, controversy and shock. If you do not move your audience in the beginning, you will be fighting a losing battle.

 

End in a memorable way as well. Your audience will remember you if you end in a great way. Make an important statement or use another technique to ensure that your ending is as memorable as possible.

 

Plan Your Public Speaking Success

You probably already know that it makes sense to plan for any public speaking engagement that you have coming up. There are several advantages to doing this properly as you will see in this article. We would never advise that you head into a public speaking engagement and deliver something “off the cuff”. It is very likely to end in disaster!

 

Overcome Nervousness with Planning

 

A lot of people are nervous when they have to speak in public and this is a natural thing. Even the most seasoned of confident speakers will experience nerves from time to time. It is actually a good thing to experience nerves at a public speaking event. The reason for this is that it will create an adrenaline rush in your body that will ensure that you stay alert.

 

Preparing your presentation will help a lot to minimize the nerves that you experience. It is essential that you are as comfortable as possible with what you are presenting and it is a good idea to practice in front of someone that will tell you the truth. As an alternative, you can record yourself and then go over the recording with a critical eye.

 

Knowing your Audience will help a lot

 

All successful public speakers find out as much as they can about their audience before they present to them. When you really know your audience well you will be able to create a connection with them a lot easier. 

 

Knowing your audience will ensure that you will provide them with what they want. You need to know what the burning questions are that they have about your niche. Providing answers to these questions will delight them and they will perceive you to be an expert. 

 

Audience engagement is critical and knowing your audience will help here. You can anticipate what they want to know and what questions they are likely to ask. Tailor your content to the needs of your audience and your presentation will be a great success.

 

Create an Outline for your Presentation

 

Some people like to create a full script for their presentation but we recommend that you do not do this. Reading from a script is not a good idea with public speaking as it can make your delivery sound very flat. You will also lose eye contact with your audience because you need to keep looking at your script.

 

It is better to create an outline for your presentation that you can glance at from time to time to ensure that you stay on track. Use bullet points or a list of the important things that you need to talk about. You can also highlight any important points that you need to make within a section of your presentation as well.

 

Use the Correct Visuals

 

An audience at a public speaking event will expect you to use visuals such as PowerPoint slides. This is perfectly normal for a business presentation. Be careful not to create too many slides for your presentation though. Having too many slides can divert the focus of your audience which you want to avoid.

 

Any visual that you use needs to enhance what you are saying. If this is not the case then the visual is useless. When you are using slides do not reveal all of the content on them at the beginning. Make a point speaking and then uncover this on the slide. 

 

Improve Your Conversation Skills To Be A Confident Speaker

A lot of people do not realize that if they improve their conversation skills then they will be more confident with their speaking. Having good conversation skills brings its own rewards as well. Here we will discuss some proven methods for developing your conversation skills so that you can be confident with anyone that you meet.

 

Decide on your Intention

 

Any important conversation that you are going to have should have an intention. We recommend that you plan for these important conversations and identify what your outcome or intention is. The bottom line here is that you need to decide what the purpose of your conversation will be. Things will definitely go better for you when you do this.

 

A Friendly Approach is recommended

 

When you want to approach someone to begin a conversation it is essential that you get your body language right. You must make the best first impression that you can and often people form this impression without you saying a word.

 

Be sure to establish eye contact with the person but do not turn this into a stare. Keep your hands visible at all times and smile at the person. It is best that you adopt a relaxed posture when you are approaching someone. You want to give the impression that you are friendly and open.

 

Have some Conversation Starters ready

 

Are you good at starting conversations? Most people are not and will end up saying something that will not be well received by the other person. Starting a conversation well is tough and you will need to practice this.

 

A tried and tested conversation starter that you can use is “hi, how are you?” and then you can introduce yourself. There are a number of great conversation starters that you can find online. It is a good idea to go through these and make a note of those that you are comfortable with. Use them to get the conversation rolling.

 

Keep the Conversation going

 

Good conversationalists will look for ways to keep a conversation going. They do this by asking the right questions so that they can find out what really excites a person. You can then use conversation sparks which will result in a dopamine rush for the person you are conversing with.

 

Good Conversationalists tell Stories

 

Why do good conversationalists tell stories? Because it works of course! Who doesn’t love a good story? When you have mastered the art of storytelling you will be a hit with most of the people that you hold conversations with.

 

Encourage others to Respond

 

Always bear in mind that a conversation is a two-way thing. Some people get carried away and want to dominate conversations. This is not a good idea. You can be seen as the leader of a conversation without having to resort to this.

 

You can use certain questions to elicit a response from the other person. After telling a story you can ask “how about you?” Ask this in the right way and you should get the other person to open up more and contribute to the conversation.

 

Finish the Conversation with a Lasting Impression

 

It is likely that you will want to leave a lasting impression with a number of people that you have a conversation with. This is very true in business and it can be in your personal life as well. Think of ways that you can create a lasting memory of your conversation for others.