It's been said that one of the biggest fears in life is speaking in public. My first attempts speaking to groups of people were horrible, for me and the audience. I could feel my nervous lips begin to quiver as I mumbled my way through a presentation, all the while trying to remember the order my presentation was supposed to be in.
Trying to work through this, I took a stab at stand-up comedy. People have always told me that I was funny (I have to agree sometimes) so I put together a few jokes and went for it at an open mic night. Quickly I realized that the expectations from the crowd were higher than I expected. With arms folded and a look that said "entertain me", I did get a few laughs. It was tough but when I finished I felt accomplished.
A couple of years went by and I decided to join my local Toastmasters group. It was one of the best moves I ever made. Learning to speak in a "safe environment" with constructive criticism and encouragement, I picked up tips on how to address groups in a professional manner. I enjoyed it so much I stayed on as a member for a few years.
I also found out that there were a lot of other people in the same boat as me. Most of the members of Toastmasters were business people or entrepreneurs, along with an eclectic mix of aspiring authors and even a few musicians. They were all there knowing that professionally it was a way to improve themselves.
Statistics bear this out. Fear of public speaking has a 10% impairment on wages and 15% impairment on getting a promotion. Those kinds of numbers may not sound scary but anything that can keep you from moving forward should be fixed.
As I haven't become the greatest orator in the world, my speaking skills have improved dramatically. Sure, I still get a bit nervous, but I have learned to organize my thoughts and prepare. I speak to networking groups, civic organizations and sales teams now on a wide array of subjects.
When I speak to local civic groups, I usually talk about something related to my insurance business, like life or disability insurance. If I am talking to a sales group, I may speak on selling or networking. Either way I infuse the talks with humor and try to keep the groups engaged.
Speaking helps me become the "expert" on whatever subject I talk about. Of course, it helps if you actually do know what something about the topic. I have learned to ask questions ahead of time when talking to sales groups when I am not familiar with the industry. For example, when I was asked to speak to newly hired realtors, I made sure to ask the Broker In Charge of their sales office what the problems were that new realtors faced. Then I incorporated that information into my talk.
All of this speaking has paid off in different ways. A good example was when I spoke to a local networking group a couple of years ago on the subject of Long Term Care insurance, resulting in two cases for me. Or when I speak as a sales trainer, I mention my book, which I conveniently manage to keep a few copies of with me. Sure enough, a few people will want to buy a copy for themselves.
But the best result is when one or two people approach me after a talk to tell me how much they enjoyed it and ask if I would be interested in speaking to another group that they are members of. That tells me that I have done a good job of communicating my message.
In the end, people won't always remember what you say in your talk, but they do remember how you make them feel. My advice to all is to infuse some humor, engage the group and be professional. Speaking can open a lot more doors for you and your sales business. Even in these times of Covid-19, a virtual seminar you set up on your own can help your bottom line tremendously.
Chris Castanes is a professional speaker who helps sales people succeed through workshops and humorous presentations. He's also the author of "You're Going To Be Great At This!", a humorous look at sales. For booking information, click here. He's also the president of Surf Financial Brokers selling life and disability insurance in several states.
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