Whether it’s a presentation, a meeting, an interview, if you want to feel more confident when communicating, here are my ‘6P’s’ to get you started.
Doing these things ahead of time will help you to clarify you message, enhance your impact and feel more confident:
PEOPLE: How/who can you connect with prior, to build your understanding of the context and establish rapport before you get in ‘the room’?
This reduces ambiguity and stress and improves connection and comfort.
PERSPECTIVE: What does your audience want? What do they care about most?
Shape your communication around this so that your audience is listening and you can be confident that you are adding value.
POINT: What is the purpose of your message? What’s the rationale for the communication?
Be crystal clear on the insights you would like to share and receive.
PREPARE: What visuals, data, research or stories would help you to guide you and get cut through?
PRESENTATION: What channel/s would be the most effective in this instance? i.e. email/phone/presentation/video.
Typically a blend of communications will have more impact and provide greater clarity.
PRACTICE: Your openings, the timing, the closing.
Starting and ending strong changes the game for you and your audience. Make sure your content works in the time available – less is more.
You’ll notice that all of these happen before the actual communication takes place.
By applying these 6P’s you will have more control over your confidence than you think.
Q: What else helps you to communicate with confidence?