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Why Every Business Women Should Try Public Speaking
There’s no doubt today’s business women are breaking glass ceilings, fighting for their seat at the table, and starting new businesses at a record pace. Yet women still face unique obstacles standing in the way of business success, some of those obstacles are systemic obstacles: sexism, racism, etc. and then there are those that are personal obstacles that hinder business success, like: lack of confidence, poor time management, etc.
To succeed in business requires a multitude of competence (hard skills) and confidence (soft skills). Many would argue that in today’s business world confidence opens more doors of opportunity than competence. If that’s the case, women must equip themselves with skills to increase their confidence, even the most confident business woman must continue to strengthen her confidence. But how? There’s countless confidence workshops, confidence coaches, and confidence trainings, all which can be very costly. The solution: Public Speaking.
Public speaking is an effective solution for many women looking to build their confidence. As a business owner, I’ve personally increased my confidence through public speaking, and firmly believe every business woman should try public speaking not only to build confidence but to also build their business. I’ve spoken in front of audiences large and small, most recently as the Mistress of Ceremony for Walker’s Legacy Power25 Chicago Awards Reception. Throughout my public speaking experience I’ve increased both my confidence and business success. Here’s how:
Better Communication with Clients- a major benefit of public speaking is the by product of getting comfortable with verbal communication. As a business owner I found it much easier to communicate with clients by email versus in person, mainly because of the natural jitters that comes with pitching your products/services. After a few prominent speaking engagements as a keynote speaker or mistress of ceremony, I quickly noticed a positive change in my ability to better verbally communicate with my clients, which not only boosted my confidence, but also my client acquisitions!
Attract New Business Opportunities- public speaking puts a spotlight on you and your business. Public speaking is a great way to market your business products and services while speaking, in other words “selling from the stage.” I recommend finding a unique and relevant angle when selling from the stage, otherwise you may run into a scenario where you are overly selling yourself and missing the mark on communicating the intended purpose of your speaking engagement.
Empower Other Women- my business is built on empowering other women to succeed, and public speaking has been another way to inspire women in business to push beyond their comfort zones to reach success.
All in all, if you’re a business women looking for a proven way to increase your confidence and build your business and brand, public speaking is an invaluable experience every business woman should try.
Audrey Woodley is Brand Therapist who helps women identify solutions to their brand challenges. She uses new-age problem solving tactics, proven strategies and customized solutions to help women build and sustain a successful brand
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