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3 Big Mistakes Leaders Make When Speaking

3 Big Mistakes Leaders Make When Speaking
by Justin Patton

Have you ever had that moment when you are in the audience watching a leader deliver a presentation and you just couldn't wait for it to be over? People are glancing at their watches, some are giving that awkward eye roll to their friends, and you dare anyone to ask a question when it's all over. We've all been there!

Last week, I had the opportunity to teach "Communicating with Confidence" to chamber of commerce and association leaders across the country. The key point I make throughout the program is that you have no greater responsibility than to connect with your audience.

The more you connect, the more your confidence grows. You owe it to yourself and your audience to stop presenting and start connecting.

Here are the three big biggest mistakes I see leaders make when speaking that prevents them from connecting with their audience.

Mistake 1: Leaders fail to take their audience with them

When leaders jump right into their vision or their proposed solution when they start speaking, they fail to take the most important people with them: their intended audience.

Dale Carnegie, in his bestselling book, "How to Win Friends and Influence People," shares a technique called "YES, YES." The idea is that you have you to understand the needs, wants and concerns of your audience so well that when you open up your presentation the audience feels like you get them and they psychologically say, "Yes, that's exactly what I feel ... Yes, I've been there ... Yes, you get what I'm going through."

When leaders fail to do this, they make the presentation more about themselves and their agenda rather than their audience. If you want to connect, take your audience with you from the start.

Read full article on MultiBriefs.