How-To Speak with Confidence

To build confidence when speaking, know what you’re setting out to do and why.

One question to ask yourself, prior to any meeting, interview, acceptance speech, etc. is: “Why am I showing up?”

This question (and the corresponding work in answering it) brings clarity. It also identifies your purpose.

When we are connected to our purpose, there’s often an emotional connection that’s shared through our vocal tone.

Tone gives meaning to words.

When we speak about something that has meaning to us, our audience hears this in our voice. If a message has meaning to us, it will have meaning to our audience, too.

As an Executive Coach I transform the way people speak. The goal is to speak confidently with connection and joy.

How-To Stop Using Filler Words in Four Easy Steps: Say Goodbye to “Ah”, “Um”, and “Like”

One of the most sought after questions my clients bring to me is how to drop the habit of inserting “filler words” into all that they do and say. Like any bad habit, this is one you can break with the right tools by your side.

Filler words (“ah”, “um”, “like”) are usually used as placeholders or simply out of habit when we’re trying to figure out what to say next and keep our nerves at bay. These words distract when overused and are rest stops when speaking.

There’s another technique when it comes to speaking that allows for the same moment to think.

Enter the pause!

Women Who Speak Up at Work Get Ignored While Men Get Promotions

Women Who Speak Up at Work Get Ignored While Men Get Promotions

According to Nola Beldegreen, a New York communications professional, too many of us don’t spend enough time considering the “art” in which we say things. To embody this executive presence, she suggests speaking with “vocal conviction” at a high volume and organizing what you want to say well in advance of a discussion.

Nola Speaks. Her Clients Do Too.

Nola Beldegreen was a champion college forensics team member. “I won trophies for public speaking the way other people competed in tennis,” she says.

But not until she took a Dale Carnegie course — while working for Glamour magazine — did she really learn to speak for herself.