Top Tips - April 2009
We all know that emails can mutate in form as they pass through the internet and go from one system to another. Our email system often has problems with emails sent by Lotus Notes for example.
Things get worse when I want to forward or reply. The original message can be turned into something like this:
>> Fristofallletmewishyouallthebestforthisnewyear2009, full
>> ofrisksandopportunities.Isuposethatsomeofmycollegues
>> havecontac youbecausenowistimeforbudgets...,andpresentations.
>> ThisisalsomycaseandIwonderif
>> youhavedisponibilty26or27ofJanuaryforhelpingmeinpreparinga
>> shortspeechforournextCEOvisitto….
I looked for a few moments at this block of uninterrupted text which is almost unintelligible. It made me think about what often happens when people are making presentations. They do the same thing! No or few spaces between words. Ideas running one into the other.
When you write you would never think of joining all the words together. You give each word its own space. You give each idea its own space in the form of paragraphs. That way people can understand what it is you are trying to communicate.
What happens when you are making a presentation and you feel a little nervous? Well, frequently we want to get it over with as soon as possible, so we speak quickly and basically join all the words and ideas together, with no spaces and no pauses.
Feelings of uncertainty and stress make our hearts beat faster, our breathing becomes hesitant and our voice sounds nervous. We forget where we are in our talk and speak faster and faster.
When we do this, the audience can’t follow and can’t digest what we are saying. You are going too fast for them and too fast for you. Most of what you say is lost.
Take the time to speak and enunciate more slowly. Make deliberate pauses. Slow things down, look around. This will give you the time to breathe more slowly and deeply. The pausing, the deeper breathing, the slower rhythm will ease your nerves. Even better, your audience will receive your messages more clearly and understand better what you are trying to say…I did say ‘pause’, do not make overly long silences or send everyone to sleep with a boring, lifeless voice tone!
Any comments? Drop me an email.
Return to the Newsletter
Return to the archive of Lydia's Top Tips
Return to the Community homepage
|
