Speak Up: A Guide To Getting Your Voice Heard At Work

By speaking clearly and maintaining eye contact, we can use words to hypnotize the audience.

Even our pauses in between our words can be used to gather our thoughts and make the listeners reflect on what you have just said.

Instead of boring, dull monologues, make your speech into a conversation, with greater interaction, questions and talking points that engage the listeners.

Let people participate in what you are saying, and they will remember your words.

Before pitching an idea, practice in front of a mirror or record your voice to help you iron out any problems beforehand.

Take the help of a colleague and anticipate what kind of reactions and questions the listeners may have.

Time is precious, so it pays to hook the audience with the main idea and give them a strong reason to continue listening. Your colleagues may be already overwhelmed with deadlines and demands made by others and will appreciate your clarity and brevity.

Delivering a new idea when everyone already has multiple deadlines to meet and zero bandwidth to process anything new will not be effective. Ensure that the listeners are not mentally occupied or feeling rushed about something else while you pitch your idea.

Your volume is not as important as you think and even speaking in a relatively quiet voice has a hypnotic effect on the listener.

People also have to stop talking to be able to listen to your quiet voice, and it is a proven fact that a whisper gets more ears than a shout.

The lost art of listening actively and with patience is to be revived.

We all are already fighting with the voices in our heads and also to make ourselves heard, that we overlook the importance of listening carefully and attentively.

Be attentive of how you sit or stand, and avoid slouching, crossing your arms or looking here and there.

Use hand gestures and project a confident, positive image. You can also try to mirror the body language of the person you are talking to, to build trust.

People can recognize confidence in the voice of others, as they can infer nervousness. One can practice breathing exercises and come into the right frame of mind, while making it quieter and more focused.

Believe in yourself and it will show in your speech.