Being more thoughtful and impactful with your words takes practice.
Whether it’s a job interview, a networking event, or a social gathering, you’ll want to choose your words thoughtfully to make a strong impression.
We all know those people who can hold court in any situation. They’re able to capture the audience’s attention with confidence and ease, and they just seem to have a magical way with words.
What is it about these people that make them so compelling and memorable? And is it possible for us to emulate their speaking skills, even if we’re introverted or shy about public speaking?
The good news is that you don’t have to be a born orator to possess this talent. You can develop your communication skills and learn how to speak much more effectively and persuasively.
Here are some tips and techniques you can use to sharpen your speaking skills so that you can connect with others and make an impact with your words.
Study others you admire
Make a list of people whose communication skills you admire. Think about the people in your office or in your personal life. Examples: your manager, colleagues, your family members, or friends. You can also look back to your past. Think about high school teachers or college professors who made a strong impact with their words. Or your fellow students and peers who were so persuasive and powerful in how they spoke.
And you don’t have to limit this list to people that you actually know. Who are the journalists, public speakers, podcast hosts, authors, or celebrities who always capture your attention and have such a way with words?
Go through your list and write down the features that you like about their communication style.
- Maybe you admire their vocabulary and interesting word choice.
- Maybe you admire how they cut to the chase.
- Maybe you admire their humor and wit. Or the way they listen and make you feel like the only person in the room.
- Maybe you admire their gentle but firm way of delivering feedback.
- Maybe you admire their storytelling skills and ability to capture your attention.
- Or maybe you admire their way of empowering others and making people feel seen.
Choose one of these traits and see if you can practice this skill over the next week. The next time you're at a meeting, see if you can practice empowering others with your words–compliment a colleague on a job well done or thank a colleague for going above and beyond. Or the next time you’re at a party make an effort to give your undivided attention and show genuine interest in others. Often, when it comes to leaving a positive impression, it’s less about what you say, and more about listening and being present for others.
Afterwards, conduct a mini debrief. Ask yourself: How did that feel? Natural? Awkward? What can I do to feel more at ease next time? Make it a habit to practice your speaking skills. The more you practice, the more natural it will start to feel.
Use storytelling techniques
If you want to connect with your audience or be more memorable, then use storytelling techniques to capture their interest.
Are you giving a presentation? Or preparing for a job interview? Think about your personal connection to what you’re discussing. Maybe you’ve always wanted to be a writer/editor ever since you joined your school paper in highschool. Or maybe you’re pivoting to a different field because you feel passionate about x or y.
When you have a personal and emotional connection to your discussion you will naturally be more specific with your word choice and more energized with your delivery. In turn, your audience will be more engaged with what you have to say and your story will stay with them.
Another way to incorporate storytelling technique is to use vivid language.
Instead of just walking a recruiter through your resume and listing your job experiences, make it more evocative by setting up the stakes and using specific and vivid language. Even if your job was something routine like arranging meetings and travel, try to paint the picture for the listener.
So instead of, “I booked travel for my boss” you could say, “I had to book complex international travel for senior officials and make sure they arrived on time or they’d lose the client.” Just a little tweak in your language can help the listener “see” your story rather than just trying to listen to hum drum talking points.
The rule of three
You might have heard the public speaking advice “tell them what you’re going to tell them, tell them, and tell them what you told them.”
The idea is that this framing technique helps the audience lock in to what you’re going to say and makes them much more likely to retain the information. Let’s face it, many of us zone out during meetings and presentations, so we often need to be reminded of what’s being said. This framing technique also serves as a useful structure for our speaking, as it allows us to focus on the content, rather than scrambling for our words. And when you’re not searching for words, you’re going to feel more confident and at ease.
Move past cliches and corporate speak
Every office has its own company jargon. Whether it’s the corporate buzzwords and lingo you always use (e.g. “circle back” or “synergy”) or the standard ways in which you describe a product or project, these cliched terms are used so frequently and conversationally that it’s easy to dismiss them–or even roll your eyes at them.
A great way to stand out from others and make a strong impression with your words is to go beyond the cliches and corporate speak. Ask yourself: how would I describe this project? How would I describe this product?
In other words, tap into your authentic and genuine self. Just because everyone in the company communicates in a certain way, doesn’t mean that you always have to.
Use your favorite analogies or turns of phrase to describe something, and tap into your lived experiences and interests. If you played sports growing up, maybe you would pepper in sports analogies and metaphors to make your words, and yourself, stand out.
When you’re more thoughtful about your words, and come from a genuine place, you will always make a strong impression.
Written by JiJi Lee
