Mastering Public Speaking Skills At Work

Learning to master public speaking skills is one of the most important things you can do to advance your career. In this week’s newsletter, global communication expert, Jessica Chen, chats with Teaching Professor at Kelley School of Business, Indiana University, Tatiana Kolovou.

Below is a small snippet of their entire conversation held on our Soulcast Media | LIVE show on LinkedIn to celebrate the launch of Jessica’s new book, “Smart, Not Loud: How to Get Noticed at Work for All the Right Reasons.”

If you’d like to watch or listen to the entire interview, click below. The transcript has been slightly edited for ease of reading. 

📺 Watch the full live event here

🎙️ Listen to the Podcast episode here

🔗 Order the book, “Smart, Not Loud”

When thinking about working “Smart, Not Loud,” one of the biggest misconceptions about work is that as long you do good work, people will notice. If you’re smart, promotions will automatically follow.

However, you know that it takes way more strategy than just “working hard.” If you want to be noticed the way you want to be, you have to be intentional with your speaking too. This is where communication skills and your ability to talk about your work come in.

ON PRESENTATIONS

Tatiana – Leaving a voicemail is a presentation. Writing an email; in a way, it’s a communication event too. So, the structure needs to always be to the point and concise. Think about these few things: keep the audience in mind, make it very easy to dissect with some key takeaways, and have a nice close.

Whether you’re leaving a 30-second message or you’re speaking in a meeting in an impromptu way, all of these are considered a presentation of yourself and your ideas.

I even consider writing a LinkedIn post as a presentation because it carries your brand. When you are in a meeting, when you’re sharing your idea, when you’re engaging in conversations, that’s you presenting yourself.

ON PRESENTING YOUR IDEAS IN MEETINGS

Jessica – In Part 3 of “Smart, Not Loud,” I teach speaking strategies such as using the 4A Sequence, which is a strategic way of chiming in during meetings, including around senior leaders so it doesn’t feel awkward. I share verbiage and examples of what you can say so when you do speak, others will listen. Here’s the 4A Sequence everybody needs to practice because it gets others to listen:

• A – Active listening: the opposite is passive listening, which is sitting in meetings without the intention of speaking up and sharing our thoughts. Active listening is joining a meeting knowing you’re going to find that opportunity to chime in. For example: a split second pause or when people get to a relevant talking point.
• A – Acknowledge: the first few words you say should be to recognize the person before you because it creates a seamlessness in conversation flow. Simply say, “Jen, that was a great point, and if I may add to that…”
• A – Anchor: now you repeat one or two words the person said as a way to connect your thoughts to theirs. For example: “…you mentioned Project X, which reminded me of my idea…”
• A – Answer: give your pointed statement and keep it concise. Ask yourself, what’s the point I am trying to make?

ON PUBLIC SPEAKING PREPARATION

Tatiana – To prepare your presentation, decide on your theme and your main three points. You can prepare it in a 30-second version, a 30-minute version, or a 10-minute version.

What you really need to know is what you’re talking about, and you need to design so it so you can recall it easily. This doesn’t happen overnight.

The best way to prepare is to have some buckets or talking points. Your theme can be the umbrella of what you’re talking about. And then you have your main three points. Being clear and concise is key.

📺 Watch the full live event here

🎙️ Listen to the Podcast episode here

🔗 Order the book, “Smart, Not Loud”

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This article is part of the Soulcast Media Newsletter, which has over 29,000 subscribers. Read the entire Book Launch Series newsletter here.