Nick Morgan's section on "Managing Youself" at the Harvard Business review unveils the secret on how you can create a true emotional connection with your audience. His article "How to become an Authentic Speaker" speaks it all.
Anyone giving an important talk often prepares and rehearses thouroughly, practicing even the gestures that go with the message. The speaker is apparently doing all the right things, yet something we can't quite identify is wrong. According to Morgan, it is because the speaker just didn't seem authentic. However, speaking without preparation is unlikely to work either.
So what comes to your mind when you think of someone as an authentic speaker? Morgan, a communications coach for more than two decades, shares the four key areas necessary to be an authentic speaker:
The intent to (1) be open with your audience -try to imagine giving a speech to someone with whom you are completely relaxed; (2) connect with your audience -think about wanting to engage your listeners, simply doing what feels natural and appropriate; (3) be passionate about the topic -focus not on what you want to say but on why you are giving the speech and how you feel about it; (4) 'listen' to your audience - don't miss to pick up your audience non-verval cues, not just their spoken feedback, which you need to respond to.
According to Morgan, natural body language conveys an emotion before it is expressed into words so the timing of practiced gestures to go with the spoken message often seems artificial. Morgan then emphasizes the four mentioned steps to "authenticity" as the key to effective body language.
About the Author
Andrea Mendoza is a virtual assistant of www.peppervirtualassistant.com helping select business decision makers in cutting-edge technologies and software development companies.
