Do your words sink in and never let go?

Do they resonate with your audience?

There are three important factors that determine whether people listen to what you have to say:

• Do you sound credible?
• Do you have executive presence?
• Are you using the right words?

A common problem when people deliver an important message to their target audience (an audience whose attention span you have for just a small window of time – so you’ll want to make it count!) is that there’s a disconnect between what’s being said (choice of words) and the delivery. This, in turn, leads to an issue of non-credibility.

If you want to be thought of as the go-to source for reliable, credible information you need evoke vocal executive presence: the ability to harness the power of your voice to command the room, connect with the audience, and close the deal.

Your voice has both a cognitive and emotional effect on the listener, says Laura Sicola, linguist and founder of Vocal Impact Productions. Therefore, it’s important that your voice fits the message: serious, credible and sounds like a leader.

Before you launch into your next important speech first consider how you want your audience to feel, then choose the words that will elicit those emotions.

Grab on and don’t let go.