How to Transition from Talking to Communicating?
At one of the business virtual networking events, I met a fellow entrepreneur who wouldn’t stop talking about her catering business, ignoring all the fundamental signals of boredom that her audience’s body language was conveying- turning off camera, drooping eyes, resting head on their palm. I bet none of us wanted to hear from her ever again. This has nothing to do with her business but her communication skills. She was “talking” and not “communicating”. Talking involves “you” and communication involves “both of you”. My fellow entrepreneur ignored the boredom cues of her audience and kept saying what she wanted to say.
I’m sure many of you would have come across one such friend or colleague or speaker.
So, how can we be an effective speaker that people would like to listen to.
Listen and observe: Listen to your audience’s body language. If you observe that they are getting bored, then its’s time to go to point no.2.
Involve your audience: After every 2-3 min of your presentation, involve your audience by asking them a question or do an activity.
Call to Action : At the end of the presentation, ask them a few practical scenarios where they can use the information that you just shared with them.
Effective speaking involves connecting with your audience. The 3 strategies shared above will help you communicate rather talk.