CHAMPION STRATEGIES – PUBLIC SPEAKING WORKSHOP – SEPTEMBER 15, 2021 -1
Hybrid Work is Here to Stay. What Does that Mean for You?
Working from Home+Office is Our New Normal
A recent New York Times piece on hybrid work was called “Remote Work is Here to Stay“—and on the day that it was written, the isle of Manhattan—home to the two largest business districts in the U.S.—had 90% fewer people working in its office towers than a year before.
Is this trend going to continue? The Chief Operating Officer of JP Morgan Chase claimed in a quote that there was “zero percent chance [of] going back to the office with 100 percent of the people 100 percent of the time” and zero percent chance of major corporations going fully remote.
Which leaves us with an as-yet-undefined mixture of live and remote experiences.
Hybrid work. Hybrid relationships. Hybrid lives.
And of course, hybrid public speaking.
Are you ready to speak “hybrid”?
Communicating virtually has been a struggle—hour after hour of talking to a screen gets tiring, even if you’re wearing slippers—and now we’re going to add in-person communication to the mix.
Fortunately for all of us, this will be easier than starting to wear shoes again.
That’s because the basic principles for communicating well are the same whether you’re on a virtual platform like Zoom, in an actual room with your listeners, or juggling both (a/k/a hybrid work).
What are those principles? Here are a few of my favorites:
1. Intend to Be Heard
Everything you have to say is important; so when you open your mouth to speak, be sure that you expect people to listen!
They may not know why they’re doing it, but people will respond to your attitude — especially if you back it up with easy-to-learn skills like pausing and articulation.
2. Know Your Objective
There are many reasons to speak up in public. You may want to persuade your listeners, or inform them. To entertain, or add value, or just be seen as someone who participates. You may want to start an argument, or end one.
Whatever your goal, try to be clear with yourself about it. Knowing what you’re after makes it a lot easier to get, whether you’re speaking onscreen, live, or both.
By having a strong confident posture about what you are saying and how you deliver it is key.
