"Think before you speak, because your words and influence will plant the seed of either success or failure in the mind of another."
- Napoleon Hill
Success
The tenet of success plays a significant role in the personal philosophy of thinking before you speak. When you speak, your goal is usually to express how you feel, to educate, to persuade, and so on. The words you use will determine whether or not you are successful in achieving your goal of speaking.
A good speaker moves you emotionally, compels you to listen, and has the ability to move you to take action. A good speaker is connected, both to themselves and to the audience members to whom they are speaking. When all of these characteristics come together, it gives the impression that the person speaking is knowledgeable about the topic at hand and worth listening to (Ansell, 2015).
Knowing your audience, choosing your words wisely, and speaking positively all contribute to success as a speaker. More information on these critical factors can be found below.
Get to know your audience:
The process of identifying an audience and tailoring a speech to their best interest, depth of awareness, attitudes, and beliefs is known as audience analysis. It is essential to construct one's presentation with the target audience in mind in order to maximize one's own effectiveness as a speaker and to ensure that the presentation is delivered in the most effective manner possible (Audience Analysis). This will allow you to become successful in your message or reasoning for speaking.
Know your topics:
It is critical to understand your topic of conversation before speaking about it. This can make you appear uninformed and reduce your credibility, neither of which will help you become a successful speaker.
Which site would you rather read if you had the option of using a resource that only references Wikipedia or a resource that has an entire page of references?
Exactly. The topic with the most references would be the most trustworthy.
Do your research and become knowledgeable about your topics; this will help you succeed as a speaker.
Choose your words wisely:
What you say can eventually be used to define you. When you speak, your words come together to form the story that will eventually become your life; this is why it is important to always choose them wisely. Some words can never be taken back, and even a simple comment can have a lasting impact.
The words we use have meaning. It is up to you whether that meaning is positive or negative. If you want to live successfully and make a difference in the world, start with your words. How do you communicate with others, with yourself? When we recognize the importance of our words, we take the first step toward bettering ourselves and our success.
Speak positively:
Dr. Andrew Newberg of Thomas Jefferson University and Mark Robert Waldman, a communications expert, collaborated on the book "Words Can Change Your Brain."
"A single word has the power to influence the expression of genes that regulate physical and emotional stress," state Newberg and Waldman.
According to Newberg and Waldman's research, when we choose to use positive words, It is possible to stimulate the motivational centers of the brain by using positive words more frequently than negative words, which will then propel the person into action (Newberg al et., 2012).
With the help of this research, we are able to see how speaking positively will not only increase our own success but also the success of those around us, keeping both ourselves and our audience uplifted and increasing positive and healthy mental states.
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What can I take from this?
It is my hope that after reading this, you will have a better understanding of how the way you speak can contribute to your success, both as a person and as a speaker.
As discussed, it is important to get to know your audiences and those who you speak to, to understand your topics of conversation, to understand that the words you choose are meaningful, powerful and making wise decisions about which words to use can contribute to your success.