Marketing a business may have evolved over the years but being a confident communicator has been the constant driving a company’s message. In the past few years, business owners benefited from creating an engagement connection online. That’s not going away any time soon, in fact in the years to come sales growth will expand through conveying conviction, tapping into your company’s purpose, and humanizing stories.
Communication is an essential part of everyday life, both verbal and non-verbal cues will reveal our emotions, our thoughts, and our needs in our personal and professional lives. Having good communication skills is critical to finalize a deal, maintain a relationship, or even make a point.
Often times I’m asked, “how can I overcome my fear and effectively share on video, or even online when I’m nervous around being seen.”
Being invisible in business will destroy your chance of being successful. It’s time to share your wisdom, let people recognize your brand and let your message be heard. So many people lose out amazing opportunities simply because they’re too nervous about what’s ahead of them.
That’s why it’s important to communicate confidently, here’s what you need to get started:
Becoming a Confident Communicator
Understanding Nonverbal Cues.
I first learned about nonverbal cues in college and it made me super self-conscious. I didn’t want people judging me based on how I was communicating with nonverbally. Ever heard of the term, “resting bitch face,” yes I’ve been told I suffer from it. This is when a facial expression that unintentionally appears as if a person is angry, annoyed, irritated, or contemptuous, particularly when the individual is relaxed, resting or not expressing any particular emotion.
But, by knowing this I’m able to control this cue (well most of the time) because it’s not the message I’m thinking or what I want to promote.
What about two more common, simpler nonverbal cues to change? Posture and eye contact. In a work setting, it’s important to stand up straight, not fidget and directly face the audience you’re talking to in order to command confidence. But, what’s even more engaging is when you’re looking directly at someone (or at the camera lens) when talking with them. This shows a sign of respect and understanding that directly hits their emotions.
Listen Up.
A confident communicator requires you to also be a great listener. It’s simple if you don’t listen, you can’t understand or interpret what someone is telling you to be able to reply effectively. By being confident you’re able to listen to what they have to say, instead of thinking of what to say next and stumbling over the conversation. You’re paying attention which shows them you care about communicating with them. Here are a few tips on becoming a better listener.
Be the Expert.
No matter who you are, you’re an expert at something. You have developed your own unique set of skills and qualifications that make you the best person to share your knowledge.
Be yourself, stand up tall, look your colleagues in their eyes, make sure you speak clearly and directly, and state your professional opinion. Focus your energy on building on your strengths and honing your expertise in the realm that excites you. By learning more, you’re able to do more which builds up the confidence to be ready to present more. The world is waiting to hear from you.
Make a Point, Be Direct.
When you communicate focus on the purpose of your message. What do you want your audience member to do next? Know what information you’re after and ask for it. This will help you stay in control of the narrative and give your audience a direct action to take. Don’t complicate the message by going off-topic, or adding extra details that are not relevant. To be a confident communicator is to know what you want, and ask for it as plainly as possible.
Preparation Is Key.
No matter the size of the opportunity coming up, it’s imperative that you do your research. The more you know about what your audience wants and how you can serve them, the more momentum you’ll have creating new opportunities. By having a strategy behind your marketing plan, you’ll be able to convert audience members to clients.
What does preparation mean? Here are some examples:
- Create an outline for your videos
- Build better relationships by driving the customer’s journey
- Know how you solve your potential client’s problem
- Have an elevator pitch prepared
- Convey what makes you unique
- Evaluate company statistics
- Continue to educate yourself
- Look at insights online to see what’s working and repeat
BONUS: Engage Your Audience.
As a confident communicator, you must relate to your audience’s wants and needs. Find a way to make them realize you are the authority in your field and you can easily solve their problems. (A video is an easy way to do this!) That’s the first way you’re engaging them, by knowing their pain points before they can recognize them. Then you want to engage them again when they respond to your communication to ensure that you’ve acknowledged and received their message.
We discuss this further, as well as other marketing tactics in the Visible You Incubator a 12-month marketing membership where we will work together to combat excuses, reduce tech overwhelm and take action in your business to finally make marketing work for you!
Happy Marketing,
