Has Poor Communication Skills Stalled Your Career?

In a previous post, I stated that poor verbal communication skills prevent career advancement. These skills need to be developed for a successful career. One cannot always recognize personal speech challenges as evidenced by improper word usage, mispronunciation or poor grammar. It is helpful to receive and accept constructive criticism from a trusted friend, advisor or mentor. Exceptional verbal skills cause the speaker to garner attention and create opportunities. Here are two resources to aid in improving your verbal abilities.

Diction Coaching

Diction coaches help change the way you sound by teaching you to speak clearly and effectively. Some of the changes one can expect after working with a diction coach include:

• Varying speech cadence instead of all fast or all slow.
  Adding proper inflection to monotone speech.
  Avoiding choppy sentences and chopped word endings.
  Maintaining adequate volume and tone.

Presentation/Speech Coaching

Presentation or Speech coaches teach communication techniques that ensure your message is delivered in a manner that will be heard. The skills one can expect to learn from a presentation/speech coach:

• Relaxing to enjoy the presentation.
  Using body language as a form of communication.
  Utilizing projection and tone quality.
  Structuring the presentation or speech to maintain interest.