Becoming an effective leader requires the mastery of many skills. However, not all of those skills are weighed equally. As we learned from Steve Jobs, one of the most important skills a strong leader can possess is communication.
Whether you’re speaking to a small team or a room with thousands of people, having strong public speaking skills is essential. Leaders have long been recognized for being motivators, encouraging growth and success, and those results come from effective communication and public speaking.
We asked public speaking experts what their top tips are for becoming leaders. Read on to see what they had to say!
Speaking publicly—whether to a team of five or in front of a 500-person audience—is a necessary skill for leaders. The ability to communicate effectively in a public setting is a core leadership skill. Leadership means you are there to ensure every goal is met, and that requires keeping your team informed and motivated. Having strong public speaking skills is an essential piece to the leadership puzzle.
Your role as a leader requires being able to build and sustain a strong team. Knowing how to communicate vision and a clear direction through a presentation is an essential task for leaders. Great public speaking skills allow you to convey every message clearly, to help your organization and everyone within it.
Strong public speaking skills aren’t only about ensuring the job gets done, they also help unite teams and lead to a better internal company culture. Becoming a better public speaker can be simple with these 15 tips from public speaking experts:
“Too many speakers are self-indulgent; they deliver their thoughts, their ideas, and their lines without thinking about what an audience will actually find interesting or compelling.”
- John Poole, Founder of Shark Tank Success
“Technique is NOT the most important asked, but rather authenticity, vulnerability, and the ability to connect and relate with your audience are. People want to connect with people, not scripts.
- Young Pham, Project Manager of BizReport
“Our ability to communicate is intrinsically tied to the depth and breadth of our knowledge. If the information in our heads is confined, we won’t be able to communicate well. The best advice for increasing your public speaking is to broaden your information set. You should arm yourself with complete information. That will not only help you overcome your fear of speaking in public, but it will also help you expand your knowledge.”
- Danny Peng, CEO and Founder of Zxmedppe
“Work on refining your verbal delivery and adding vocal variety, such as pauses and inflection, to bring your message across.”
- Becca Klien, from BeccaKlein.co
“Just like any skill, practice makes perfect when it comes to public speaking. Rehearsing in front of family or friends can help you get comfortable delivering speeches in different settings. Taking on small speaking opportunities, such as joining Toastmasters or presenting at work meetings also allows you to build experience and confidence in your delivery”
- Mark Joseph, Founder of Parental Queries
“Use constructive criticism to your advantage: Whether you’re practicing or delivering a presentation, solicit constructive feedback.”
- Derrick Hathway, Sales Director at VEM-Medical
“#1 tip to blow away your audience? Reframe. Change your nervous energy into excited energy. Fun fact, even the most experienced speakers can get nervous before a big speech. The key is to channel those nerves into excitement versus fear. Excited energy is contagious and your audience will LOVE it.”
- Nancy Medoff, Global Keynote Speaker
“The more you do something the easier it gets, It can be tempting to avoid opportunities to speak in public, but my advice is to take every chance you are offered. The more familiar you become with public speaking, the less scary it will seem.”
- Alex Mastin, CEO/Founder of Home Grounds
“It’s common to experience nervousness during a presentation, no matter how well you’ve practiced. Calm down and take a deep breath when this occurs. There is no pressure for you to perform flawlessly. Focus on developing a sense of perspective to better deal with challenges as they emerge.”
- Irene Graham, from SPYLIX
“It helps your momentum if you remember to breathe during your speech. A surprising number of people hold their breath without realizing when they are nervous. Remember, holding your breath will only increase your anxiety. So, breathe deeply during breaks in your speech and develop your own pace.”
- Yoav Marder, Search & PR Director at Sonary
“Public speaking is a magic trick. It has to begin with a misdirection that reels your audience in. Then the public speaker thickens the blot of his trick. Finally, they deliver the punchline, the landing blow, or the proverbial shazam… Consistently trying to gain attention and generate noteworthy content is difficult. Putting the content in a well-designed format is harder.”
- Marc Hardgrove, CEO at Thehoth
“Podcasts are an excellent training ground for public speaking. While speaking in front of a group of strangers can be nerve-wracking, podcast guesting allows you to leverage people’s already engaged audiences eager to hear your insights. These opportunities help you learn how to connect with listeners through thoughtful comments, relevant stories and facts, and humor. And the more podcasts you appear on, the more you’ll feel comfortable being yourself when speaking to large groups of people, which is vital for sounding authentic and building trust.”
- Daniel Kroytor, Founder and Director of TailoredPay
“Speaking confidently will give your audience faith in the information you provide them. However, it is essential to note that confidence is built in more than one day. You improve your confidence over time as a public speaker.”
- Mark Stewart, CPA at Step by Step Business
“Audiences want to sit down, gather around you, and be taken on a riveting journey. Listeners should be able to close their eyes and be excited, informed, inspired, and entertained by a great vocal storyteller like you.”
- Ron Blake, Director/Speaker at the American PTSD Association
“The best way to become a better public speaker is to address your audience with the intention of being of service with no strings attached. You must be able to share your experience and knowledge without expecting something in return.”
- Claire Bahn, CEO and Co-Founder of Claire Bahn Group
Main photo by Kane Reinholdtsen on Unsplash
