As a business owner, it's essential that you talk to people. You need to get the word out in as many ways as possible about what you do and what you offer. This might mean talking to prospective clients on the phone. It may be speaking to people at a networking event. It might even be leading an event from the stage. The list goes on and on....

Wherever you're speaking -- from casual conversations to formal presentations-- you really need to be comfortable with it. In fact, you can't really afford not to! Here's why:

• Your Financial Bottom Line It's critical for you to be able to connect with people about what you offer - even if you're a soft-spoken person. I know you've heard it before: Folks do business with people they know, like and trust -- people they feel connected to. You don't have to change your personality. But you DO have to come out from behind your computer and out of your office. Otherwise, you're leaving serious money on the table. It's that simple. Your website can't do all the talking for you.
  
• Tension Drives Them Away When you're in business and you're uncomfortable speaking, people pick up on your discomfort vibe. And they often read it wrong. Maybe your discomfort makes you a little aggressive. You're just nervous and trying to power through your fear. But you can be perceived as pushy and intrusive - sending them running in the other direction. Or maybe you appear shy and uncertain when you speak. Once again, your behavior can easily be misread. Your listener may conclude that you're uncertain about your product or how effective it is. They don't know you're just anxious about speaking up. But they've caught your uncertainty bug and don't want to engage in business with you.
• Expanding Your Reach When you're comfortable speaking, it opens up all kinds of opportunities. You can diversify your offerings to include live and virtual workshops and presentations, videos, teleseminars, training products, guesting on or hosting radio shows and events; participating in joint ventures - the list goes on.
  

All these activities massively increase your visibility and really stretch your possibilities. If you're not at ease speaking, you're going to come up with all kinds of reasons why these things aren't for you. Or you'll just hope to do them later instead of jumping on opportunities when they show up.

So do what YOU need to do to relax so you can be at ease speaking in your business - either on your own or with some outside help. It is absolutely going to open up new possibilities for you.

Article by:  Janet Hilts@EzineArticles.com