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Format 65 cpl Word count 865 Category: Business

Can anyone become a Successful Businessperson?

Can anyone become a successful businessperson? I am asked this question many times after I have given a speech on business procedures and strategies. The answer is not that simple.

Before we get to answer, let me ask you a question. Can anyone become a successful medical doctor? To become a doctor, there are several very important factors that have to be given a lot of careful thought and consideration.

First, you have to be interested in field of medicine. Then develop a passion for this profession - find out all you can, do plenty of research and get professional advice.

Once you have made your firm decision, you have to go to medical school and learn from work of those who have researched, developed and established field of medicine through trial and error.

When you graduate from medical school, you have another very important decision to make. Are you going to specialize in any particular field of medicine like cardiology, gynecology, anesthesiology or any other particular area of medicine.

If you decide to specialize, you will have to go back to school and qualify in your chosen field.

After you graduate, you will have to serve an internship either at a hospital or with a specialist in your field who might decide to take you under his or her wing and give you some hands on practical experience under supervision.

Then you will be ready to venture out on your own. You can set up your own office or join a group of doctors who work from one office.

Some doctors, after graduating from medical college and having served an internship, decide to go into general practise. General practitioners, who usually act as "Family Doctors" examine patients and refer them to specialists to deal with a particular medical problem.

For example, a person with a heart problem will be refered to a cardiologist; a person with a skin problem to a dermatologist and so on.

Becoming a medical doctor is not easy. You have to be interested in field of medicine, develop a passion, be dedicated, educate yourself, get proper training and work at it passionately on a consistant basis.

1. Select your topic.

Make sure that your topic is defined well. The more narrow topic, easier it will be for audience to grasp it’s essence. When a topic is too broadly defined, it can be more difficult to create succinct talking points that will summarize your speech content. Your speech should be interesting and meaningful to audience, as well as focused on meeting their needs or expectations.

2. Building blocks for success.

As speakers, we all learned there are three main building blocks which comprise a speech. The first component is speech introduction where objective is to capture audience attention. Ask a compelling question, offer a quotation, cite a statistic, or begin with a challenging statement. Follow this up with main points you intend to convey within body or content part of speech. The second building block is content. This is where you will fill in details of key points that you alluded to in your introduction. Each point should be supported with factual data, if appropriate, stories, quotations, or statistics. These details will further reinforce your speaking points, making it easier for audience to retain information, while at same time, deepening their learning experience. Finally, conclusion or closing of your speech is where you will summarize points that you made during your speech. Draw conclusions from your prior points, relate them back to your introductory remarks, and then close with a strong sentence or two.

3. Analyze your environment.

In order to effectively communicate with your audience, you need to know some things about them. First, you need to know who they are. Understanding who they are will allow you to tailor appropriately your vocabulary, approach, and delivery. Are you speaking to a company or to a professional organization or to a public group? Are you speaking to adults, teenagers, or children? Second, you need to determine audience expectations. Why are they coming to listen to you? What are they hoping to learn? What do they plan to do with what they learn? This will help you in selecting a speech topic that is focused on solving a problem or fulfilling a need. Third, you need to understand your role. Are you a keynote speaker, a workshop presenter, a speaker invited to provide entertainment? Your role will influence your approach and visual aids that you use. And, fourth, you need to know where you are presenting, actual physical environment. Will you be speaking in a small conference room, a large auditorium, in a place of worship, or possibly in an open area at a convention? There are many aspects that influence your speaking environment. The more you know prior to speaking , easier it will be to deliver a powerful speech.

4. Say it well.

As a speaker, your craft is based on words. There are so many things to remember about speaking well. First, be careful of words you select. Opt for simple words, rather than complex ones. Instead of using word “demonstrate”, use word “show”; instead of word “numerous”, try word “many”. Make it easy for your audience to understand you by using words with less syllables. Of course, you must tailor terminology to your specific audience. The words you use in a speech to chamber of commerce will be different than words you will use when speaking to a more specialized group like attorneys or doctors. Second, use short sentences. They have more impact and audience will retain content more easily. However, make sure you vary length of your sentences so your speaking doesn’t sound choppy. Third, employ various techniques of vocal variety. Change your voice volume to emphasize certain points. Depending on subject matter, you might use a regular speaking voice, but in another part of speech change over to a commanding voice or one with a humorous tone to it. And, by all means, avoid speaking in a monotone voice as it will certainly bore your audience. Obvious as it may seem, practice your speech several times to check your articulation. Make sure you are pronouncing each word fully, beginning to end.

5. Timing is everything.