As entrepreneurs we are always striving to get our message/opportunity across clearly. Some people are natural communicators and do it extremely well, whilst others struggle to convey what it trying to be said and this can come across to the listener/viewer. I personally have never been a strong communicator, in fact I have always found this area to be particularly difficult for me. It is something I have educated myself on and try to improve on all the time. I wouldn’t say I have ‘mastered the art’ as yet but practicing helps. You can only improve by consistently applying what you have learned and gaining experience. Practice makes perfect! Here is what I have learned so far and I hope this helps you to become a more effective communicator.

Be Direct

One problem I faced a few years ago when trying to brand myself online was getting to the point and not ‘beating around the bush’ so to speak. I tried to make videos and each time I would dance around an issue which was not clear after watching back. When talking about something on video, writing something down or speaking to someone face to face, it is important to be direct and clear about what it is you are trying to express. People have very short attention spans, therefore by being direct, concise and honest with good eye contact, you are communicating efficiently and getting your point across without all the fluff. Just say what you feel, be real. People will appreciate your honesty and want to hear more from you because they know that what you speak is the truth and that is refreshing.

Believe In Yourself

If you don’t believe in who you are or what you have to say then how do you expect others to? When you have self esteem and high integrity this shows when you are communicating. Your self confidence and belief shines through and others will hear what you have to say. When you are communicating with another and you believe in yourself and your abilities 100%, they will communicate back to you in the same manner. If you suffer with low self esteem and confidence then don’t worry. I did to. But you can get over it I promise! Go to my free resource library and type in ‘self esteem or confidence’ and there are plenty of books there to help you with this.

Express Yourself

When you believe in yourself it is easier to express yourself. Some people are very animated when talking to others with lots of hand movements and different facial expressions. A good example of someone like this is Dani Johnson who is one of the best female business communicators ever. Her seminars are always sold out and this is because she expresses herself when on stage with such fire and passion that she leaves people with that same fire an passion when they return home. If this is your style then great! If not then it doesn’t matter. Remember, it’s all about being yourself . Find a way of expressing yourself that you are comfortable with and stick with it. As long as you are getting your views across and you are speaking from your heart you will be fine.

Speak Sloooooowwwwly

When I am passionate about something I tend to speak really fast and try and get all of the words out at once. I have trained myself to speak slowly now so as to get my message across clearly but it is difficult at first, definitely a learned skill if you like talking! Here’s how I suggest you teach yourself to speak slowly.

• Take a long deep breath before speaking
• Think about what you are going to say before you  say it
• After one or two sentences pause for a couple of seconds
• After you have made that last statement let it sink in before you decide what is coming next

When you speak fast and have a lot to say, it is hard for all the information to be processed by the listener at the end of it. By speaking slowly with pauses in between, it gives them a chance to digest what you have just said which means that by the end that have taken in almost everything you have said and have learned from you. All great leaders and politicians communicate in this way, because it is so effective. Here is an example of President Obama giving a speech. Listen carefully to how he presents the information and how slowly he speaks.

Smile and Make Good Eye Contact

People always used to say I smiled too much. How someone can smile too much is beyond me! Lol. But on a serious note it did and still does have a very positive effect on others. When you smile your eyes light up and so do your words. Try this now as an exercise: Say ‘happy’ in the most miserable voice you can………….Feel happy?! Now say it in the happiest most joyeous way you can and notice the difference.

It almost becomes happppppppppppppppppyyyyyyyyyyy when you truly feel what you are saying right?! When speaking to people either directly or indirectly you should always maintain clear eye contact and smile as much as possible (without being cheesy of course!). This helps set the mood and tone and will aid with the communication process. If you look away and have a miserable face, you may find that people don’t warm to you, worse still don’t TRUST you and this is not good for you as an entrepreneur!

Be YOU and Speak From Your Core

This may seem obvious but it’s amazing how people ‘wear a mask’ to impress others, which again comes down to lack of self esteem. I have done this myself when starting in this industry because I felt a massive pressure to impress people. Speak naturally from your heart and you can’t go wrong. Express yourself clearly, relax, speak slowly and soon it will become like second nature to you. If you have any communication problems or issues and feel they are too severe to make these small changed then by all means email me and I’ll see how we can try and change this for you.

Have a beautiful day!

Lots of love,

Carly Taylor x