37: Three Proven Ways to Become a Better Speaker

Leaders need to be able to speak confidently, clearly, and concisely to others – yet surveys show that at least 10% of the US population fears public speaking more than death. Even if that isn’t true for you, chances are that you might not be as effective or confident as a speaker as you would like to be. In this new series, we’ll look at what you can do as a leader to both speak and present more effectively, and help coach others to do this too. I started off this episode by talking about how I used to HATE public speaking and feared any speech…for days in advance. My trouble started in third grade and followed me well through college. I describe what I did to overcome these challenges and outlined three steps below that I know will be helpful to you as well. 1) Get in front of people! I looked for every opportunity to speak when I went to events I volunteered to help out at work in giving recognition to others You could also reach out to charities and non-profits – all need speakers! I didn’t mention this in the episode, but becoming an instructor for the Red Cross is a great way to start (I did this!) 2) Find someone who will give you positive reinforcement Find a friend, colleague, or mentor that will support you regardless of what happens Join an organization like Toastmasters that will give you tons of position reinforcement 3) Get good coaching Once you’re a bit more comfortable on your feet, get honest coaching for someone you trust Attend a Dale Carnegie course – they are the best of the best on teaching people how to speak and present Start to do some teaching…either volunteer work, in your job, or teaching a class one night a week at a community college Discover More Activate your free membership for full access to the entire library of interviews since 2011, searchable by topic. To accelerate your learning, uncover more inside Coaching for Leaders Plus.