You hear a lot at the moment about Like Know Trust being important to growing your business, getting clients, and establishing your expertise and credibility status.
The key to this strategy is being Authentic. Whether in your speaking or in your business you need to be you. It sounds simple however, many have problems letting their true self free and then wonder why their business is not growing the way they would like it to.
What stops you from being Authentic?
Feel Vulnerable and Unsure: When you feel unsure and not confident the fallback is to pretend, to wear a mask. If something goes wrong then you can fall back and say to yourself – oh well that wasn’t me, that’s okay. As protection, our masks work well – not so good for being authentic.
Copy that Speaker /Entrepreneur/Business Owner: You see a great speaker /entrepreneur/business owner and think WOW I want to be just like that person – look at what they are doing. If I want to be great I need to be exactly like them. No you don’t! You need to be you – only more you. You need to find what you are good at – keep doing it and then polish some of the rough edges. You can’t be someone else – you are not being authentic and audiences and clients are very quick to see the mask to see that you are not you.
When you are genuine, when you are you, when you are being authentic then you connect with your audience and with your clients. When you open your heart and let your audience and clients in then you will have a solid foundation to build that Like Know and Trust.
So how can you be authentic?
It takes courage. Take a deep breath and be you. When you are speaking remember it is not about you it’s about your audience and what you can do for them. Open that door and let your audience and clients in. Grab those 60 seconds of insane courage and be you.
Accept that not everyone will like you. And that’s okay. The ones that do will find you and work with you. The ones that don’t – well you probably wouldn’t want to work with or connect with them. When you accept that some people don’t like you and it is okay – then you become empowered. It frees you to be authentic and genuine.
Let your passion shine. You have a message to share. Let that belief in your message shine. When you let your passion go you will connect with the audience and they will connect with you. Use your passion to shine a light so those who need to find you can do so.
Want to make that connection with the audience. If you don’t want to be there – then your audience won’t want to be there. How often have you seen someone get up to speak, even do an introduction at a network meeting and you know that they have no interest in being there. Be 100% in the moment – be genuine, be authentic and be there.
Share your experiences and stories. When your share your story you are opening that door to who you are. Stories are a wonderful way to be authentic and connect with the audience.
Have a conversation with your audience. Breath, relax and speak with your audience as you would if you were sitting across from a friend in the coffee shop. You don’t have to put on another voice or an accent. Use your voice, know your voice, and have that conversation.
Use open body language and eye contact. Ensure your body language reflects the verbal message. If your body language is not congruent with your words, the audience is more likely to believe the non-verbal, and your credibility and authenticity is thrown into doubt. Make eye contact, look at your audience – an old English proverb says ‘the eyes are the windows of the soul’. Let your audience see who you are. Make that connection.
When you are you, when you are genuine when you are authentic and you let your audience and your clients see you then you are on the road to success in your business and success in your speaking. Audiences and clients will forgive the rough edges, the not-so-perfect delivery if they know you are being authentic.
Don’t forget to download you copy of 10 Free Tips For Improving Your Presentation
Trish Springsteen
Multi International Award Winner Speaking Mentor Coach Author Radio Host
Trish typically works with introverts, authors and advocates helping them to have the confidence to step up and share their message with those who need to hear it.
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