Q: I interact with a lot of young people in different professional settings such as job fairs and conferences as well as where I work. I enjoy their optimism and creative ideas, but one thing I’ve noticed is that many of them have certain speaking styles that make them sound immature and unprofessional, which in turn lessens their ability to be taken seriously. How can I give them constructive feedback?
A: I know the speaking style you are referring to, and it’s a cluster of verbal habits that can make anyone –regardless of age- sound less intelligent.
Non-words. One of the habits is using non-words such as “y’know”, “ah”, “um”, and “like” as verbal crutches to fill gaps in a sentence with little substance. In a social setting, this is fine but in a professional setting it gives the impression to the listener that the idea being presented is half-baked and thus easily dismissed.
“Up-talking”. Another habit –previously more common with women but now seen in men- is what’s sometimes referred to as “up-talking”. This is when someone speaks with a singsong? and finishes sentences with an upward inflection? making every statement sound like a question? The problem with this habit is that you can be a world expert on a topic but if you make a definitive statement with an upward inflection, you will sound tentative and unsure. (The sun rises in the East?).
Whether it’s a job interview or everyday interaction at work, poor speaking habits can limit current and future prospects.
What can we do to help?
First thing is self-awareness. These are bad habits, we do them without realizing, so point them out gently.
Second, provide examples. Share articles about the subject, look for examples on good speaking habits on YouTube (a preferred learning method for this age group.)
Third, suggest they think about work-speech as analogous to work-clothes. Our casual clothes are not always appropriate for work, and neither is our casual speech.
Learning to adapt our speech (and clothes) to a given situation requires self-awareness, maturity and professionalism. Share these tips and you’re on your way to helping them achieve all of those.
© Copyright Eva Del Rio
Eva Del Rio is creator of HR Box™ – tools for small businesses and startups. Send questions to Eva@evadelrio.com
