How to Speak and Make Yourself Heard

This is a guest post by Eduard at People Skills Decoded.

When I as in high-school, I often had a problem with making myself heard.  Whenever I would talk in a group setting, people seemed not to be paying too much attention to me, and I would constantly get interrupted. This would piss me off, especially because I knew I usually had better ideas than the guys who were getting more attention than me.

After years of debate and public speaking, working on my confidence and my conversational skills, I got to a point where I could make myself heard in any group setting, periodically doing speeches in front of large groups. Now that I think about it, I probably overcompensated.

Tips to Make Sure You Are Heard

Here are some of the most important ideas which helped me make this personal change, a change which I now also help a lot of my clients master.

1. Speak Quieter Instead of Louder

When you’re under the impression that people are not listening to you, it’s a natural reaction to speak louder, in order to get their attention. But what actually works better is the exact opposite: speaking with a lower voice.

You see, the problem is not that people can’t hear you. It’s that you don’t communicate power and thus, you don’t hold their attention. The trick is to speak deeply, in a low voice which has a certain resonance, and to do this without reflecting nervousness. This communicates to other people that you have confidence in the value of your words and you expect them to listen to you. And so they will.

2. Learn to Interrupt

Interrupting is not something I recommend you do often in a conversation. But it is something which you need to become comfortable with. Knowing you can interrupt and focus attention on yourself gives you a sort of confidence which automatically adds more power to your speaking.

There is only one real way to learn this: by doing it. Practice interrupting people when they’re talking. It may not be polite, but trust me, it’s very useful. As you do this with various people, you will quickly master the art of cutting others off mid-sentence, and you will have a new tool for gaining others attention.

3. Learn to Take Risks

Most people who cannot hold others’ attention when they are speaking are very safe in the way they speak. They never say anything bold or offensive, they never contradict anyone. This makes them pretty boring and predictable, and so it makes sense that nobody pays much attention to them.

The ability to make yourself heard is hugely determined by your willingness to rock the boat. A good exercise to learn this is to deliberately say stuff which is bold and defiant, even if you don’t believe in it, as a way to get comfortable with taking risks in conversations. And as you do this and realize it’s not the end of the world to upset someone, you will get comfortable.

4. Speak in Simple Words

In any discussion, the more complex and sophisticated your words are, the more chances you have of loosing everybody. The point is not to impress others with your vast baggage of words. The point is to have a real impact.

Real impact comes from being understood which comes from stating your ideas in plain and simple words. I constantly recommend people practice using simpler words with all kinds of audiences, whenever they speak or they write, in order to master it. Content is important, but form is king.

Make Sure You Get Heard When You Speak

Speaking and making yourself heard is not hard. It just seems that way when you’re not able to do it. Understanding the principles of high-impact communication and applying them consistently will get you there and will make you proud of yourself as a speaker.

Eduard Ezeanu is a communication coach with an attitude-based approach. He helps others to improve people skills they find relevant and get top notch results. He also writes on his blog, People Skills Decoded.

Photo by thivierr

You Might Also Like: