Make Your Voice Heard

If you are working inside a real estate office — the importance of public speaking is elevated. Why? While a street loan office may get an invite to deliver a sales meeting presentation to agents or perhaps a lunch-and-learn, for those serving a real estate office, these events become a regular part of the position. The office may have sales meetings every week, every other week, or once per month. The loan officer may present training sessions as often as weekly as well. The ability to show leadership within the office by presenting value-added and dynamic presentations is essential.

Why are great public speaking skills rare? Because most people are scared to speak in public. This fear is so prevalent that it has its own word: Glossophobia. We also call it “stage fright.” Studies have shown that those who suffer from stage fright get more anxious — not less anxious — as their presentation gets under way. And when it’s over, instead of feeling relief, they feel even more anxious. Thus, if you are afraid to speak in public — you are not alone. Here is the good news: this fear can be overcome. The key to overcoming this fear is a significant dose of practice:

• Start alone — then move up by getting in front of your pet. We are talking about small steps here!
• Move on to your spouse or another key person in your life. Remember, you are speaking every day in one-on-one situations.
• Stand-up and give your one-on-one talk in front of one person.
• Talk about something you know well. If you are familiar with the topic and talk about it every day — then you don’t have to worry about “remembering” it.
• The topic doesn’t even have to be about work — it can be a hobby like golf or photography.
• Start with a small tidbit — not a full speech. Three things you love about being a loan officer.
• You can build from there — add a point or a story after you have done this ten, twenty or a hundred times.
• Always get feedback — remember practice does not make perfect. Practice makes permanent. You must get feedback so you can make adjustments in the future.

There are organizations such as Toastmasters International and Dale Carnegie that will help you with your quest to become a more effective speaker. Toastmaster chapters are local and are non-profit and thus inexpensive. They are filled with others trying to achieve the same goals as you. It is also a great place to meet new contacts and benefit through networking. If you practice speeches on the topic of mortgages, the members will come to you when they have questions. Want to add some additional synergy? Join with a real estate agent who shares the goal of becoming a good speaker.

The fact that you are not alone in your fear should provide some perspective which will help you move forward. It helps to gain a perspective on your fear. In addition, here are some additional points that may also help you achieve this perspective:

• People in the audience know less than you do. Not only do you need to “dumb your talk down” — don’t worry about the facts and explaining them so much. Keep it so simple like you are teaching a kindergarten class.
• People will remember about two percent of what you say and that is usually a story. Don’t worry about saying something wrong. They won’t remember.
• People don’t know what you are going to say. So don’t worry about leaving something out. If you forget something — let it lie and come back with an email on the topic.
• People actually like it when you agree with what they believe! That means you don’t have to go out on the limb and challenge them.
• One person in the audience will not like you — don’t focus upon them. Focus upon those who liked you. If you gave a talk to ten people and;
  • Six were motivated to use you,
  • Three did nothing, and
  • One hated your speech.

Would you be better off giving the speech or not? Believe it or not, most speakers would be focused upon the one person who did not like the speech. But that is misplaced energy. The bottom line? Undertaking the objective of becoming a better speaker is well worth the effort, whether you are inside the glass house or on the street. But essential if you are serving a real estate office.