Presenting well is a challenge, and that challenge is doubled when English is your second language. Here are five ways you can improve your ability to present to executives despite imperfect English:
1) Write your speech out – This is the simplest way to improve your speeches. It’s generally best to speak from brief bullet points, but this is not an option if English is your second language. Put your thoughts down on paper.
2) Have your speech proofread – Go to Craigslist and hire a graduate student from Columbia or NYU and have them weed out awkward phrases. If it is a 30 minutes speech, this might only cost you $40 or so. It’s worth it. Make sure you ask why your phrases are off so you can improve them going forward.
3) Rehearse your speech with a coach – A speech coach with a specialty in accent reduction (like yours truly) can hear your problem sounds and rhythm patterns clearly, and teach you specific techniques to fix them. This will vastly increase your ability to be understood. A good coach can teach you effective speech structure as well so your speeches spark interest.
4) Go slow and pause at the end of phrases – This is the simplest way to improve your presentations. Simply take a pause at the end of a thought or phrase, take a breath, and allow for some space and time in between thoughts. This gives the audience time to absorb what you are saying. Read this post to practice pausing between thoughts.
5) Try again if you stumble on a word or phrase – It’s ok if you cannot pronounce every word in your presentation perfectly. There are plenty of successful New York City executives who give presentations with speech mistakes in them. But it’s not a good idea to just skip over mistaken words or phrases while presenting if it will confuse the audience. If you mispronounce a word, take a breath and try the phrase again, going slowly and really focusing on your articulators (lips, tongue, lower jaw).
If you would like some help with your presentations, contact me directly for a free, in-person, twenty minute consultation. I can put a coaching plan together for you that will vastly improve your articulation, and your persuasiveness.
