When people only have your voice to go on (ie on a phone call or in a radio interview) you only have 2-3 seconds before people decide whether you’re worth listening to. That’s according to the NUJ (National Union of Journalists) in an article which – of course – I can’t find now!
Even when people can see you, on TV or in person, you only have a few seconds before they decide whether to tune you out, discount you, scan the room for someone more interesting/influential, or just give you less attention than they could.
As the saying goes, you only get one chance to make a first impression.
In other words, that first 10 seconds of a conversation are super important.
Now, that’s not to say you always have to speak in stunningly arresting slogans, memorable calls-to-action or fascinating insights. Sometimes we are just gathering our thoughts and deciding what to say. But, as you formulate your opening gambit, make eye contact and smile. Or ask a question for clarification eg, “Oh that’s such an interesting topic, what are you thinking of? What aspect of this are you involved in?” etc.
And, certainly in an interview situation (whether you’re being interviewed by a journalist or in a job interview), do have a few phrases ready to go. In my case, “Well, I’ve worked for many years as a broadcast journalist for BBC News, Sky News, Channel 4 News, 5 News and so on, and this topic comes up a lot…” Now those 2 things aren’t necessarily connected (me working as a broadcast journalist and this topic) but it buys me some time to think, what am I going to say about this!!??
With my personality type, I have no trouble talking for England. I can usually count on my mouth to just open, and words come out. And not all of it is rubbish, it’s mostly relevant and sensible (honest!) But some people don’t have this natural ability and have to work on it a bit more. So plan what you might be asked to talk about. If you’re going to an AI conference, you’ll have to talk about AI.
I am also reminded of an experiment where an actor was asked to go to a party and not reveal anything about himself or his opinions – only to ask others about themselves and prompt them to talk more. After the party, the group were asked what they thought of this guy. They all said he was super interesting, fascinating and a great guy! So, you don’t have to be the world’s biggest guru, or insightful thought leader, you just have to know how to ask questions, prompt, maybe do a little storytelling, and hone your delivery (eg don’t be monotone, one of my biggest bugbears!)
And you can learn all these things with #presentationSkills #training #mediatraining #publicspeaking #training #voicetraining – so get in touch 🙂
