Mark Twain: “I didn't have time to write a short letter, so I wrote a long one instead.”
Fear of public speaking might be hurting your career
Surveys and research results show that most of us would rather die than talk in front of a live audience
Fundamental business skill
It’s a myth that effective public speakers have natural talent. Effective verbal communication is a timeless and fundamental business skill that can be learned. We can learn to give quick and accurate responses.
Same message, different tools.
- Technologies change
- Tools change
- Teams change
- Jobs change
The ability to listen and respond appropropriate never goes out of style
Develop a content plan for enhancing your verbal skills
Key ingredients: Community, Communication, Methodology
Methodology is something that does not come to mind when we think of effective verbal communication.
- BUILD your community to identify who you need to communicate with. Earn respect by keeping your word and listening to others with respect.
- EMPLOY your communication skills and project management skills to identify what you want to say
- USE the framework methodology to organize how you want to say it.
Effective verbal communication starts with being present
Technical writers are producing the best content that is matched to particular user needs.
- Ensure that you are invited to the strategy and planning meetings by offering good content to help reach the common goals
- Build community by listening, responding thoughtfully, and earning trust
- Respect relationships above publishing mechanisms
When you are present, be fully present and listen hard. Listening is an activity.
Powerful secret: you have high value and you have much to offer.
Framework technique organizes your thoughts and reduces thinking
Use the framework technique to place any type of content into a frame so that it has some logical organization. Framework organization helps reduce the thinking that is needed to say what we mean.
Organized communication helps to increase our confidence.
Improvising is a learned skill that helps you think fast and respond with competence and confidence.
Frameworks include:
- past, present, future
- why, what, how
- accomplishments, obstacles, next actions
- situation, action, result
- I believed this before, but I don’t think that way anymore because…
- dreamer, realist, critic
Mix them up, create new ones, frameworks are a tool that you can customize to fit your needs.
Thanks to Ed Andriessen for sharing these frameworks. Ed is a fellow Toastmaster and CEO of Business Training Resources.
Related articles and resources
The Worst Words to Say at Work Yahoo career article
Toastmasters International visit a club today, start learning to listen
Silver linings 
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