How to Communicate Confidently

Managers intimidated me at the start of my HR career.   I was younger. Less experienced. And had usually been with the org for less time.   But I needed to level up and communicate with confidence.   Are you wanting to do the same? ⬇   Here are 4 tweaks you can make to increase your confidence:   ✅ Adapt Your Style   Establishing credibility with managers can be difficult. Before interactions, do your homework. Then adapt your communication style accordingly.   Are they a data-obsessed manager? Arm yourself with spreadsheets and numbers.   Do they approach their meetings with creativity and humor? Sprinkle both into your presentation.   This is true no matter the stage of your career.   But it's especially effective when you're working to establish a reputation for yourself.   ✅ Stay Calm   This is easier said than done.   In reality, you probably will get rattled. You just can't show that you're rattled.   It takes practice.   The best way to get started on this?   Speak slower.   Measured speaking communicates confidence. And helps ensure well thought-out responses.   ✅ Listen with Empathy   You might get nervous to the point that listening becomes secondary. Fight against this.   Being able to listen closely is crucial to adapting your communication.   The empathy part takes your listening to the next level.   Overlay active listening with empathy to ensure your responses are on point.   ✅ Ask Questions   Show you understand the topic at hand. While seeking to gain knowledge and grow your understanding further.   It's a great opportunity to learn.   And managers will respect your interest and effort. You don't have to be intimidated by managers like I was. Level up and communicate with confidence.   ---------------------------------------------------------   I share career growth and high-impact business tips for HR professionals.   Follow me for practical, positive tips to grow your HR career!

Parents, if you want to help your kids be more effective communicators, or give that graduation speech with confidence - give them this advice!! I was in the gym yesterday and overheard a patron talking to another about how nervous his son was because he was giving the graduation speech. His dad - I presume - said to the other guy in the gym with us *jokingly* "I told him, well, you got one chance to do it right! And it's how you will be remembered forever!" I wanted to jump in and say, 'Listen, I have three easy techniques he can use to give that speech with confidence!" I didn't, and I should have. So, I feel compelled today to write a post about those three techniques that you can pass on to your kids if they are about to give a graduation speech! Or any other important conversation. Here they are: 📝 1. Script it and then practice it - every day! However, you DO NOT want to read this on the big day. So here is how you can practice. Start by writing it word for word. Then read it out loud a few times. Then try to memorize parts of it - so look around the room, not at the paper. Once you master that, turn that script into bullet points, or talking points. Now practice it again out loud. Remember to look at people! Talk to them, read to them. This is why you do not want to bring a word-for-word script up to that podium. You want the conversation to flex, not be rigid. Bring some humor—if appropriate—and your personality to your speech. Excite people, don't bore them. AND MOVE around when you practice! Do not be a robot. That brings me to the second piece of advice. 🙌 2. MOVE. People move their arms, head, hands, and upper body when they speak. Sometimes the lower body too - just don't be a dancer. Stay grounded. Keep your body poster open! Do not ball up by tucking your arms close to your sides or keeping your feet together. Your feet should be 10-12 inches apart. Basically, take a Superman or Wonder Woman pose because that pose will keep your stress hormones suppressed. You will feel and look confident! And confidence is attractive. (If you have ever been told not to talk with your hands, you have been given some really bad advice.) And finally... 📣 3. Right before you take the stage, think these thoughts: "I have a great speech, and people will love it. I will entertain them. I am not worried at all because I am going to enjoy sharing my knowledge and message. I am excited to be able to do this!" And those thoughts will generate a calm, charismatic, and confident behavior. Now go forth and conquer that graduation speech!!! 👏 🙌 👊

3 Things People TRY to be a better communicator. 3 Simple Things they SHOULD do instead. These 3 are based on coaching 200 people As I've talked with over 600 people in the last 5 years about things they've TRIED doing to improve their speaking and presenting in the workplace, these 3 answers come out often. 1. "I should fake it till I make it, right?" (Why do you have to fake it? Why can't you have confidence today?) 2. "Increase my vocabulary". (My experience is this usually leads to just using buzzwords and jargon. Not enhanced vocabulary, and your message gets complicated and lost. Way overrated.) 3. "Be wittier." (In the list of priorities... where does this fall? Typically not Top 3... or 5) Here's the 3 things to focus on INSTEAD that will have a GREATER IMPACT when you speak and present. 1. FOCUS ON THE VALUE of your message to that specific audience. This is the single most impactful thing you can do to grow your confidence. When you know your message has VALUE for those listening, you can get past your nerves. 2. FOCUS ON HAVING A SIMPLE, CLEAR MESSAGE. A SIMPLE message given CLEARLY is more powerful than any fancy words you could use. At Coca-Cola, the focus on our Revenue Growth team was "Make the complex simple." They were really talented at this, and the actionability of their insights showed the value. 3. FOCUS ON REDUCING YOUR FILLERS and HAVING AN EASY TO FOLLOW PACE. Most people deliver too fast with too many fillers. What to do instead... Remember to pause. ---------- If we haven't met, my name's Cooper Camak, and I sometimes post speaking tips based on coaching 200 people in the past 1:1. If we're not connected, click 'Follow' ☝️

Is public speaking your worst nightmare? For many, the fear of public speaking ranks above the fear of death. Sounds dramatic, right? A couple of weeks ago, an employee asked for my advice on being less anxious and more confident on stage. There is no perfect formula that works for everyone, but I shared what helps me get more present and confident on stage. 1. Remember that the audience is rooting for you. People don’t go to talks hoping to be bored, they go hoping to learn something or to be entertained. If you see people who look like they are not paying attention, often that has more to do with them than with you. 2. Find happy faces and focus on them. There are usually some people in the crowd who are vibing with the talk. When you find them, focus on and deliver the talk to them. As an audience member, it’s hard to know who the speaker is talking to, and it can look weird if the speaker’s gaze is constantly darting around the room. 3. Stand confidently. The audience can sense your energy during the talk. If you are constantly pacing or shuffling, you can look uneasy, which can make you uneasy. Find a position that you feel confident in and own it. How you show up is who they will read your energy. 4. Make clarity your number one goal. It’s easy to set the expectations for yourself out of whack if you compare yourself to an entertainer. An audience can learn a lot from someone who might be nervous but who focuses on making their message as clear as possible. But if you go too far in the direction of entertaining and you don’t have a clear message, nerves can kill the whole talk. The more you build confidence in the clarity of your message, you will be more confident and able to add more jokes and personality. 5. Anxiety is a signal you care. It is normal to feel some nerves before a talk. It signals that you care about the audience and how the message will be received. When you harness that anxiety, it can ultimately drive you to do better and be more prepared, so try it use it that way instead of letting it shut you down. 6. Pick topics you care about. When picking the topic for your talk, find something you genuinely care about. It is very hard to give a great talk about something you don’t genuinely care about. When structuring a talk, focus on putting yourself in a position to speak genuinely about the topic. Bonus: If you are feeling confident and want to take your talk to the next level, you should think about the emotional arcs throughout your presentation. It’s more interesting to watch someone talk through the highs and the lows, than it is to hear only about the highs. Bring us on the journey of your story, or how you found your insights. This is just a start of how to up your presentation game. To my pros out there, what other advice have I missed? What would you say to someone who is starting to hit the talk circuit?

"I want to be seen as confident... what does it take to project confidence even when I'm not 100% feeling it? Do I have to just 'fake it 'til I make it' like people say?" That has to be in the top 3 questions I get from lawyers and other professionals... in the presentation skills 'confessional.' I call it 'the confessional' because many questions and concerns come up while I'm working with clients using video recording and feedback. It's not surprising. Watching yourself on video, with a small group of your colleagues, is bound to bring up your most pressing questions. It's a good thing. I disagree wholeheartedly that the solution is faking it. 𝗪𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗻 𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝘀𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗮𝘀 𝗼𝘂𝗿 '𝗱𝗲𝗳𝗮𝘂𝗹𝘁' 𝗯𝘆 𝗮𝗱𝗼𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗿𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗴𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗲𝗰𝗵 𝗵𝗮𝗯𝗶𝘁𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗽𝗮𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻𝘀. A few speech habits that make you sound confident: • Volume = confidence to some degree. Be loud enough to be heard easily by everyone. • Warm, conversational tone = confident and easy to connect with • Avoid the worst filler phrases: 'kind of' and 'sort of' • Ditch the monotone = perceived as disengaged or don't care In the spirit of taking 5 minutes per day to improve your speaking skills (see yesterday's post)... Pick one thing on the list above and improve it during ONE call or meeting every day this week. I'd love to hear how it goes. I'm curious, which speech habit do you think makes the most difference in coming across as confident?