Speak up when introducing yourself

You’ve probably heard the saying, “don’t hide your light under a bushel”.  It is used to mean to have more self confidence and to be more assertive.  This is especially true when it comes to your elevator pitch.

Whether it’s your introduction when meeting someone personally for the first time, or it’s your networking commercial you give to a roomful of professionals “round robin style”, it is absolutely important to be heard. 

Here are two reasons why it’s so important to speak up:

When giving your networking commercial, you’ll miss out on a huge opportunity to promote yourself if not heard.  Sadly, if people have to strain to hear you, they just plain won’t.  People decide within the first few seconds of your speaking as to whether or not they want to listen to you.  If they can’t hear you, they won’t even bother.  Being offered the opportunity to give your networking commercial to an entire roomful of people is such a great thing – you get to introduce yourself to MORE people than you normally would in a mix and mingle situation.  If you speak too softly and aren’t heard, you’ve just wasted your 30-second exposure. 

Speaking loudly and clearly reflects confidence.  If you speak too softly or timidly, you could be showing (whether you mean to or not) that you are not confident in your message or what you have to offer.  It’s unfortunate, but people will perceive this if you can’t be heard. 

Tips for insuring you are heard:  Speaking loudly and clearly may not come naturally if you are more of an introvert, or if you get nervous speaking in front of crowds or when meeting people for the first time.  That’s why it’s important to practice your elevator pitch as much as possible, so that it begins to come out confidently and natural sounding.  One trick I teach my private coaching clients when they are delivering their pitch to a room, is to look out into the audience for the person or table that is furthest from where they are standing, and make it their goal to speak loudly enough for that person or table to hear them.  If you see furrowed brows, or people leaning forward to try to hear you, you know you’re speaking too softly. 

Don’t hide your light under a bushel – instead, be confident in your introduction and be sure to speak up.  You don’t want anyone to miss what you have to offer!

If you struggle in this area, consider a private coaching session with me.  We’ll work on making you more comfortable with your elevator pitch, I’ll give you lots of great tips on how to reflect confidence in your message, and we’ll practice it until you’re much more comfortable. It’s fun and easy, and can be done either in person or by phone.  Learn more about private coaching sessions here. 

Would you like to use this "Fresh Tip" for your newsletter or website?  You absolutely can as long as you use this complete blurb with it:  Barbara Lopez, "The Elevator Pitch Coach" with Brightfarm Introductions, helps business professionals introduce themselves with high impact.  Everything in business starts with an introduction.  If you're ready to learn how to introduce yourself and your business professionally and comfortably, visit Barbara at www.brightfarm.com.