Public Speaking, Speak Better
NOLA BELDEGREEN
How to Make Conversation on the Fly

This common moment of social anxiety is a major barrier to building rapport and professional relationships. I joined Erin and Sara Foster on The World's First Podcast to dive into this exact topic.

How to Make Conversation on the Fly
Public Speaking, Speak Better
NOLA BELDEGREEN
How to Find Your Authentic Voice and All Things ...

This past week, I had the pleasure of speaking with an incredible group at the Greenwich Library. I shared powerful strategies that we can all use to become more confident and compelling speakers.

Speak Better, #public speaking
NOLA BELDEGREEN
3 Ways to Speak with Confidence

Clarity is power—write down your main ideas and streamline them. The more focused you are, the more confidently you’ll speak. Defining those key points helps us to be more succinct when speaking.

Public Speaking
NOLA BELDEGREEN
How to Feel Confident: Segment from The World's ...

I was recently on The World’s First Podcast with Erin and Sara Foster. We talked about how to be confident in your own voice and many topics relating to public speaking including how to calm nerves, how to speak in front of a group, techniques for impromptu speaking situations, leaning into your vulnerability and much more.

Meeting Preparation
NOLA BELDEGREEN
Be Super Prepared for All Meetings

Take It From The Top

Could you imagine going on a long drive to a new place and having no directions? What would happen if you did this?

You might take several wrong turns, end up in the wrong place or possibly have to reroute yourself. Chances are that you might have some hesitancy on the journey as you’re not 100% certain on your direction.

Giving a talk also requires a map. When you engage in any kind of public speaking your success relies heavily on having a clear plan and knowing the points you want to hit.

If you ever feel that you get lost in your thoughts and words when you present or simply feel filled with fear before you begin, writing out strong and deliberate opening and closing lines will help. By leading with a good sentence you start out strong and with direction. You won’t have to worry that you got off to a weak start. The strong opening builds certainty and confidence.

For your next meeting, write out how you want to open and the words that you want to end with. Even if your audience is that of one, you will feel so much calmer and it will not go unnoticed. What’s also helpful is to tie the ending (close) back to the beginning (opening). 

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.