Words of Wisdom from Kelly Parker

Kelly D. Parker is a professional speaker and founder/lead consultant at Kelly D. Parker Consulting. She and her team help business professionals, entrepreneurs, speakers and leaders the keys to effective communication. Kelly is also the creator of the When the Gals Gather movement, and when she is not working she spends her time with her husband and three kids. 

Kelly has 15 years of experience presenting at colleges, churches and corporations. Her Campus Kent State was lucky enough to have her present to us on her five C’s of Communicating with Confidence. It was a very powerful presentation and I’m going to share her wisdom!

Competence

Competence is the ability to do something successfully or efficiently. You have to become self-aware and separate facts from feelings. Surround yourself with like-minded people. In order to do something successfully, you need to believe in yourself. You can do it. 

Cues

Cues are verbal and non-verbal actions that suggest confidence. The steps for having positive and confident cues include:

    1. Passion & Energy 

This means you should have a nice resting face and smile. It is proven that smiling can help you engage in a virtual conversation better.  

    2. Stance & Posture

You should be standing or sitting tall, not hunched over. Look awake and present instead of sleepy and bored. 

    3. Eye Contact 

When you keep eye contact with the person you are talking to it indicates that you are focused and paying attention. It means that you are actually listening to what the person has to say. 

    4. Voice Projection

It’s necessary to ensure your audience can hear you clearly and understand your message. Projecting your voice can resonate with your listeners, keep their attention and influence their behavior. 

    5. Image

Image is about the full package. This includes your appearance and how you dress. You should look clean and presentable, not like you just woke up. 

Clarity

Clarity is the simplest message that is easily understood. You should showcase what is important to your audience, but you can also say what you want. Using fewer words and a simple language that everyone can understand will go a long way. And this one is important, people always remember what you repeat. 

Courage

Courage is taking action even when you are scared. It is finding strength in the face of your fears. Sharing ideas is more confident than not saying anything at all. No one is perfect and you should not try to be. But speaking your mind shows you have an opinion and you are paying attention. 

Connections

Connections are relationships in which a person, thing or idea is linked or associated with something else. This is where you build a network of contacts that can advocate for you. The more contacts you have, the more doors/opportunities you can receive. Here is how to build a relationship:

     1. Ask for introductions

If you want to meet someone you can ask someone else who is already acquainted with them to introduce you. 

     2. Ask for informational meetings

     3. Stay in touch

Once you have formed a relationship with someone it is always nice to reach out to them and check-in. It makes them feel good and it can benefit you later on. 

To sum everything up, the five C’s of communicating with confidence are competence, cues, clarity, courage and connections. This will help you greatly in our new virtual world! I hope you follow and use Kelly Parker’s tips. You can find more information on her Website, Instagram, Facebook and YouTube. 

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