Next to confidence, the most important factor determining the bounds of your success is your ability to communicate. Being able to relate to people effectively  as you communicate your ideas and your vision will determine the amount of success—and money—you stand to make in your lifetime.

And as you build your powerful, inspiring, lucrative brand, impeccable communication skills are vital…not optional.

While there are those who believe that communication is simple, I disagree. Talking is easy. Connecting with people is always more challenging, especially for women. In order to connect, you must first understand the tools you’ve been given to craft your message. At the Godfidence Institute and at our Speak for Pay event, we teach that “connective communication” happens as a result of what I call PDF.

1. Preparation

2. Delivery

3. Flexibility

Preparation
The first key to communicating well is to be prepared. You need to know your audience, know your objectives, and then work your message backwards. It takes some work (and some selflessness), but learning the motivation of your audience is critical.

You need to be more in tune with the motivations, interests, needs and desires of your listener than your own. Once you get clear on that you can set your objectives for your message—then detail and organize it around your objective.

Delivery
When people think about speaking, they tend to obsess about every word—I see my clients stressing over trying to pick the exact right words instead of focusing on getting their entire message across. Words are only one part of your message.

In fact, do you know that your demeanor on stage makes up 55% of what your listener retains? (How you sound gets 38% and your actual words are only 7%).

Our minds can only retain so much. But impressions go much deeper than mere words. How you deliver your words is as important as the words themselves. People may not remember everything you say but they will always remember how you made them feel. That’s the difference between communicating and connecting.

Flexibility
As you build your speakers brand, you will have to adapt your style to fit various situations as they arise. You can’t have a one-size-fits-all mentality. You have to listen, process and adjust your delivery accordingly.

You might find that everyone attending your presentation is a teacher, or a doctor, or an actor. You’ll need to observe and listen to see what each unique audience needs. I know that every time I give a presentation—even if the title is the same as one I gave last week, I have to make adjustments to best serve the needs and objectives of my audience.

If you’re ready to learn my secrets to successful SPEAKING FROM THE STAGE and how to build a LUCRATIVE SPEAKER BRAND, the doors are now open for my LIVE 3-day bootcamp, “Speak for Pay!” Click here for details

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