People in their 20s — specifically new graduates and early career professionals — need to cultivate one particular skill if they want to be confident and memorable at work, according to a communication expert.
They have to learn to speak slower, says author and communication consultant Bill McGowan, who has studied the subject for more than 20 years — working as a public speaking coach for celebrities, CEOs and politicians including Jeff Bezos and Mark Zuckerberg.
When you talk too quickly, other people may think you’re unsure of yourself, and your message becomes difficult to understand, McGowan says.
“Slow down. Filler language is a product of speed, and the faster you go, the more ‘ums’ and ‘likes’ and ‘you knows’ are going to creep into your vocabulary,” says McGowan, author of “Speak Memorably: The Art of Capturing an Audience.” “The best way you can exude executive presence is to not fly through a report you’re giving to your supervisor or your contribution in a meeting.”
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Speaking quickly at work is a somewhat natural phenomenon, especially for early-career people who want to get ahead and may not feel like they have infinite time to show their worth at work. Social media may also play a role: People tend to talk quickly on online platforms, using an elevated tone to get their point across through time constraints and short attention spans.
In a professional setting, however, talking quickly has the opposite effect, says McGowan.
“When you talk very, very fast, it [comes across as] inherently apologetic. It means, ‘I don’t deserve the floor. I know you’re bored. I know you’re discounting the value of what I’m saying. So I’ll just go through this really fast,'” he says. “And in my experience, the people who are supremely confident are the ones that feel like they have the license to take things deliberately and thoughtfully.”
Slowing down your speaking cadence starts with slowing down your breathing, Stanford University communications lecturer told CNBC Make It on Jan. 9, 2024. The faster you breathe, the faster you speak,” Abrahams said. “Your voice is a wind instrument.”
You can also try to make broad gestures when you speak — big hand motions, slowly walking across the floor — and align your speech to those movements, and imagine that your audience is full of non-native speakers of your language, Abrahams recommended.
“We tend to slow down when we speak to non-native speakers, almost instinctively,” he said.
If you’re giving a speech or big presentation, run through it beforehand to ensure it’s clear and concise, adds McGowan: “Know how you’re going to make your point. Practice it ahead of time, and if it’s really concise and there’s no excess and droning on, you have the liberty to take your time with it.”
Want to be a successful, confident communicator? Take CNBC’s online course Become an Effective Communicator: Master Public Speaking. We’ll teach you how to speak clearly and confidently, calm your nerves, what to say and not say, and body language techniques to make a great first impression. Get started today.
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