Franchisees, Here’s How to Effectively Use Public Speaking Skills

As a franchise owner, you may often find yourself selling your vision to others. More than likely, you’ll also have to convince clients, persuade investors, train employees or collaborate with other businesses. You may even find yourself in front of an audience at a conference or other event.

For all of these reasons, public speaking is an invaluable skill for a franchisee. Public speaking is important in many career paths. In fact, 70% of people believe presentation skills impact their success in their career. However, as a franchise owner, you are likely to find public speaking opportunities are even more abundant. Use these top tips as a guide for your next presentation to turn this so-called “soft-skill” into a hard and fast opportunity to engage with your audience and grow your business.

While many find public speaking intimidating, with 20% of people admitting they would make an excuse to avoid public speaking at work, here are a few key strategies that you can use to make sure you feel confident and prepared, and that your audience perceives you as such, too.

Regardless of who you are speaking to or in front of, you need to establish yourself as a credible source if you want them to sincerely listen to what you have to say. This requires a bit of confidence. Why? If you aren’t confident in your abilities, then why should your audience be?

Explain to them how you are an expert in your field so they know they can trust you. This does not necessarily mean that you have undergone extensive training or pursued a doctorate. It could just be that you have work experience in a given industry, you have spent time volunteering or maybe you took a course. No matter how you got the experience, mention it. Be brief in introducing yourself, then promptly shift your focus to your audience.

Now that you’ve introduced yourself and established your credibility, you can focus on those who are listening to you. This is great for calming your nerves as you needn’t feel like you are putting on a show instead of helping a group of listeners.

Involve your audience by addressing them directly and explaining what you can offer them. What services or products does your franchise specialize in? How can these products or services benefit your audience?

Depending on the circumstance, it may even be appropriate to start a discussion with your audience. This further mitigates the pressure as the spotlight is no longer just on you. For example, if you are training a group of new employees, perhaps you could ask them to discuss their understanding of a particular aspect of the business. Let their discussion guide your presentation, addressing any misconceptions as you go along. Engaging your audience is a surefire way to make sure they are listening and interested.

Hypotheticals are hard to grasp. Instead, share a real-life experience that people can better understand and relate to it. Do you have an anecdote about how your products or services were well-received? Or, do you have a personal story about why you felt compelled to start your own business in the first place? Let your listeners in.

While you may be tempted to show the breadth of your creativity, stick to a few key ideas. This allows you to explain your thoughts thoroughly and gives your audience a chance to remember the key takeaways. If you overwhelm your audience with a smattering of surface-level thoughts and ideas, they likely will not remember most of them. However, if you explain one or two concepts in great depth, with examples and detail, they will feel much more invested.

Regardless of who you are presenting to, you should make your goal clear to them. While they may not remember your every word, they will remember the last thing you requested of them. Use your closing words to call your audience to action by giving them a clear set of steps on what they need to do.

For example, if you are speaking to potential clients, you may instruct them on the first steps of signing up with your brand or where to go to find out more information.

Public speaking can feel intimidating to many, but with the tips mentioned above, you can confidently address your audience. Just remember to start by establishing your credibility, then involve your audience, share a personal story, opt for a narrow focus and wrap up with a clear call to action.