The Crucial Skill Of Business

Increasingly in this day and age we are being called upon to give talks and presentations. Whilst there are people who do this, usually a senior manager, they may be missing the essential business communication skill.

They've been doing a job for a certain number of years and have a thorough understanding of their job. But that doesn't always guarantee that they know how to present. I, personally, have had direct experience of bad speakers from working in the public sector.

One of the key elements that is often overlooked, these days, is the attention span of the people that you're talking to.

With fast-paced TV editing, the internet and viral video people are used to quickly flipping from one piece of information to the next.

But when we have to give a presentation we often forget this and talk at length, on a subject without giving a second thought to grabbing an audience's attention right from the outset.

A few years ago I used to perform stand-up comedy and what I learned was that you needed a strong opening line as well as a strong closing one. The middle of the act would take care of itself (almost). You need to grab them by the lapels to make sure they listen.

That's an experience I try to remember myself when delivering speeches. The opening needs to be memorable and relevant and you need to get the audience to sit up and take notice of what it is you have to say.

I remember, oftentimes, the bad comedians would begin their acts with questions like: "where are you from?" The same can sometimes be said for certain speakers. It's dead air. From a listeners perspective however that represents static. As a speaker you have potentially wasted valuable seconds that you could have used to win your listeners over to your side.

But if you open with a relevant quote, or a fact that directly relates to what it is that you're going to be talking about then that can be extremely valuable. Likewise, you need to end strongly, with a quote or a call to action.

Tip: if you open with a quote try not to end with a quote as well. Perhaps give your listeners a call to action. For example, "over the next 5 days..." then tell them what you want them to implement. By doing this you give your audience variety.

By doing this you will have implemented an essential business communication skill and you can start with a bang and not a damp squib!

Jason Peck is a Humorist, Speaker and Coach based in London, England. For more humour techniques, tips and secrets, check out Jason's Jason Peck is a Humorist, Speaker and Coach based in London, England. For more humour techniques, tips and secrets, check out Jason's hub page Learn to be Funny