There are two women who are presenting their funding request to the same management so let’s listen to it.
Samantha: So, you know that this project is really good and we can sell it to the customers and they will really like it. I’d only need about $50,000 to get this project launched. Shall I go forward?
Stacy: With the investment of $50,000 you can launch this product in just six months. Can we project a 15% market share in the first year, and generate topline sales of $50,000 at a margin of 25%. Are you sure that you will be confirming the investment?
Can you notice the difference?
All the business professionals have their own different way of speaking like the tone of their voice, the words and the way they are presenting the information. To get success in this you will need to match the style. We will focus on 7 simple changes which can help in your speaking style and will make you sound like a credible and reliable professional.
How can you speak like a professional?
If you are thinking about how to speak professionally then these are the tips that you can follow
- Focus on using short and clear declarative sentences
Using short sentences will help you to focus on your messages and make it easy for the audience to follow and understand. Try to avoid the fillers like um, actually, like, and more. These sounds distract the audience and make you sound insecure. Focus on making the long story short.
- Focus on speaking in the active tenses
If you are looking forward to knowing the ways on how to speak professionally then focus on speaking in the active tenses. You own your actions and you are only responsible for them. Professionals always focus on making things happen. Using the passive tense describes the things that happened to you but active tenses will show how responsible and confident you are.
- Try to stay calm when you are under pressure
Do not become nervous. Try to stay calm and focused. If someone asks you a tough question then think before you answer them. Take your time. If you do not know the answer to the question then commit to finding it out and replying once the meeting is over.
- Focus on speaking naturally
If you are looking for ways to know how to speak professionally, then the best thing you can do is to speak naturally. Try to raise your voice and make it fall according to the content. Use a steady and calm tone.
- Try to say what you mean
Try to avoid using jargons, slangs and euphemisms. If you are trying to sell something then talk about selling it. Do not focus on monetizing an asset.
- Try to focus on what matters to the audience
When you are about to ask for funding then tell them how much you need and what you are going to do with that fund. Also, tell them what they will get in return for their investment. If asking about a job then tell them what the role is and why you are the best choice for them.
- Try to be specific
Try to be specific about the deals. Tell your audience how, where and when will you be doing the specific tasks. Tell them the details. Also, try to give them specific dates and deliverables.
You can start now
Speaking professionally is totally different from speaking in social conversations. You can try to record yourself and practice a presentation or you can also record your side of the telephone conversation that you did with your colleague.
Try to listen to things you said well and also where you need to improve more. You can also take the help of your friend; for example, you can tell them to note down the mistakes you have done and the number of times you have used fillers.
Try to work on it. You can also write down to check your mistakes because most people write the same way they speak. This will help you to improvise. Communication has always been the key to success. You need to keep working on your speaking style. It will make a lot of difference. It will make the audience believe in you.
What do you think happened to our two project managers? Did they receive fundings? Yes, Stacy. The management team gave her the money and also told Samantha to try again when she had better facts to present. If you want to gain recognition and also want to gain respect like a professional then focus on sounding like one.