Mastering Effective Communication: Insights from Michelle Davis at the Oswald Women’s Leadership Council Event

What happens when you hear someone provide too many details or use filler words such as like, you know, uh, um? You probably tune out or lose interest.

If you catch yourself using similar language, your audiences are likely tuning you out, too.

The Oswald Women’s Leadership Council invited Michelle Davis, a leadership communications trainer from Speak by Design, to help a full house at The Aviator become better speakers and leaders. The May 1 event was a lively and thought-provoking conversation.

And the conversation starts with body language. Sitting or standing up straight, relaxing your shoulders, and smiling will help you project confidence. When you are confident, people will follow your lead.

Ears also tend to perk up when you speak with intention by knowing your audiences and tailoring your speech to their needs.

Make your point with as few words as possible. Tell them you’re an expert without saying so.

Use the Opinion +2 method to convey your expertise in a concise manner. Provide your opinion, then give two reasons why you have that opinion.

For example, I like to eat eggs for breakfast. They taste great and provide protein.

We all need help from our colleagues with various projects. Try the OCTA method of summarizing your needs.

• Objective: State your goal and deadline.
• Current Position: Provide the status of the project.
• Tasks and Timetable: Note which tasks need to be completed.
• Asks: Tell them exactly what you need and when.

The morning had many takeaways, but here are a few.

• Less is more
• Stick to the important stuff
• Summarize what you said

Fill out the form below to request access to watch the session to learn several more methods to hone your speech to boost confidence and productivity.