an entrepreneur, you may need to develop new skills or improve upon existing ones. Most of us need to face numerous challenges, on a regular basis. Some of these challenges may include conquering our fears of public speaking, overcoming shyness, and learning to delegate tasks.
Public speaking
Some people enjoy standing up and speaking in front of a crowd. For others, there couldn’t be anything more frightening. Fear of public speaking is one of the top five causes of anxiety, topping fear of death, financial ruin, and creepy crawly things!
You may not fear public speaking, but you may be slightly uncomfortable with other aspects of interacting with large groups. You may be shy by nature, or you may be afraid of rejection or of trying the unknown. Some of us are merely afraid of what we have not practiced before. Regardless, as an entrepreneur you will have to develop your public speaking skills in the search for long-lasting success. And you never know, you may discover that you actually enjoy public speaking and add it to your growing list of talents.
The benefits of learning and developing this skill far outweigh the investment of the extra time you spend on it. For me, these benefits included:
• Gaining the confidence to approach and speak to people from all walks of life and different business backgrounds
• Learning to listen effectively
• Learning to focus on my clients’ reactions and needs
• Learning to speak about any subject at the spur of the moment
• Improving my interpersonal skills (for both my personal and business life)
I had decided to work on my public speaking skills when the date of the second annual Jolly Good Art exhibition approached. Although I was comfortable meeting with new students and their parents, I was still nervous about speaking in front of a large group of people in my studio.
When I first heard of Toastmasters, a nonprofit organization that helps people improve their public speaking and leadership skills, it meant nothing to me. Now, however, I was running a successful, expanding business. As the school’s owner and leader, I had to stand up and speak eloquently and confidently about my business, which meant moving out of my personal comfort zone.
Toastmasters has a strong reputation for helping people from all walks of life gain insight into their communication styles and confidence in self-expression and the art of persuasion. This new path to self-discovery opened up more opportunities for me than I had ever expected. Not only did practicing public speaking help my confidence level, joining Toastmasters also increased my network of acquaintances — I found a diverse mix of minds and interests.
Tips and techniques to become a better public speaker
Visualize, prepare, practice, and perfect: these are the four cornerstones that are essential to effective public speaking.
Visualize
Visualize yourself speaking to hundreds of clients — whether it is at the yearly art exhibition, charity gala, or award evening. Keep in mind that public speaking is an aid to your business and personal development. You must also believe in yourself and your own expertise.
Prepare
Study Toastmasters manuals and read as many books on the subject of public speaking as you can. (See the Appendix for suggested reading.) You should also look up books on body language, humor, entertainment, education, and assertiveness/self-improvement. (Attending courses in the latter is also a good idea.) These topics will help you in the many avenues of business: You will learn to interact more effectively with those around you as well as gain more confidence figuring out what your clients want and need. Forgo TV or your recreational time for self-development — you are investing in your future!
Practice
Prepare your speeches thoroughly and practice them in front of your family members and even a mirror. Give it your best. Practicing helps even acutely shy people overcome their stuttering and blushing.
Try to follow these tips in order to be completely prepared:
• Be interactive; take the initiative to address the audience.
• Act confident by smiling, and vary the tone of your voice. Perform like you are enjoying yourself and the crowd will love it.
• Learn to “read” your audience. This will give you a tremendous boost and will become easier as you gain experience.
Perfect
The following tips will help you perfect your public speaking skills:
• Believe in yourself. You have information others will learn from and they will respect your opinion.
• Learn to push yourself out of your comfort zone.
• Do not second-guess yourself; follow your instincts and do what feels right. You know yourself best.
Shyness and fear of rejection
Who do you really admire in your community or in your circle of friends and family? Who do you emulate in terms of profession, spiritual beliefs, or ethics?
Even if you think this person may not be able to spare his or her valuable time, what is the worst that can happen if you ask for his or her advice? He or she may direct you to someone who could help you. As far as I am concerned, getting a “No, sorry,” reply is better than to hear years later: “You never asked; I’d have been more than happy to help.”
Do not let shyness steal opportunities away from you or prematurely strip you of your chance for success just because you are afraid to be rejected. If you ask diplomatically for help and support, you may find that people are flattered that you hold them in such high regard. (There are more in-depth guidelines about mentorship and mentoring others in Chapter 9, Networking.)
Know that your passion and love of what you do — art, teaching, and imparting your knowledge — are what will drive you out of your comfort zone. With experience your inner strength and confidence will grow. Have faith in your core beliefs and surround yourself with those who can help you grow even more resilient.
Learning to delegate
If you want your company to grow, and you want to gain long-term benefits, you have to learn to delegate. This comes with a good support system and committed staff, and your trust in them. Learn to let go of all the different tasks that you have been doing alone. If you have family and reliable staff, enlist their help and cooperation. If you are already benefiting from the help of assistants, occasional or seasonal staff, or teachers with specific qualifications (e.g., in special needs education), then you have already seen the rewards. (Read Chapter 8 for advice on hiring employees.)
When you have established your business, you will probably want to hire an accountant or a bookkeeper. He or she can help you keep your finances in order while you spend your time doing other things to increase your business.
You may also consider hiring a lawyer for legal advice on such matters as zoning laws, and for dealing with liability issues. He or she will be up to date on current laws and will save you time researching and understanding complicated insurance forms and legal issues that may arise.
As will be discussed in Chapter 7, Creating Your Web Presence, you may also want to delegate your website design (and all of the updating this entails) to a professional web designer. This could save you many hours of research and frustration!
For personal support (in addition to any family cooperation you may have), I suggest you consider hiring domestic help. At first, doing so may seem unnecessary or too expensive, but I found that a cleaner every two weeks kept the house in order and my housekeeping duties to a minimum. Each visit meant that I saved four or