I was on a website recently reading an interview with a celebrity. The site was owned by a major television network and rather than posting the interview in a properly written form, they simply transcribed the interview verbatim and stuck it online. The result? Neither the celebrity nor the interviewer came across as being very bright because their sentences were interjected with words that we say but don't write… and the celebrity said “you know” at the end of nearly every phrase. You'd miss it if you watched it on TV, but because you were reading it, it became very apparent and very annoying.
How do you sound when you sell? Most of us have no idea how we sound when we're speaking. I recommend doing two things:
- Join a local Toastmasters group to develop your speaking skills. They're a great place to build your skills and network.
- Record yourself talking. For example, record yourself while you're selling on the phone. (Of course, don't record the phone call… just put the recorder on your desk while you're talking so you catch your side of the conversation only). Then review it. What do you find? Do you interrupt a lot? Do you get interrupted a lot? Do you use words like “you know” or “ummm” in your conversation? I'm willing to bet that you'll be surprised at how you sound.
