How come at the end of 2020, women still talk as if it's 1952?
I don't care how your stylist has turned you out or if your website and copy are on point and brilliant. If you don't present yourself and your ideas as polished and clear, then you are doing yourself a disservice.
If you consistently say things like, "I think" about areas that you KNOW about, then you are making it harder for others to recognize your value and make it easier for others to dismiss your ideas and expertise.
When you begin with "This may be kind of fuzzy," that statement colors becomes the lens via which everything else you say is colored. It's your verbal first impression.
When you finish with, "I hope it's ok I said that," that's the music by which people remember what you've said. It's your verbal last impression.
Now, this stuff is deeply engrained. Yours truly also said, Does that make sense?
The good thing is, start to notice it and you'll begin to break the pattern.
Try ending with, "Any questions?" rather than, "Does that make sense?" It's a small step in the right direction. The other stuff? Just trash it.
Any questions?