Public Speaking: How Leaders Communicate Under Pressure

Learn how to communicate with confidence under pressure, ditch the over-reliance on scripts, and develop the mindset that separates competent speakers from genuinely compelling ones.Most leaders who struggle with presentations are not short on content. They are short on the right mindset. Ian Stringer, award-winning broadcaster, BBC Radio Leicester football commentator, and event host with over 20 years of experience, makes the case that getting your head right matters more than any technical skill.​The instinct to write a detailed script feels safe, but it creates a false sense of security. When the words go wrong, so does everything else. Ian's advice: know your subject well enough to put the script down. Clarity of message, word economy, and the ability to read your audience will carry you further than any prepared text.​Whether you are presenting a policy change, hosting a team meeting, or speaking on an all-staff call for the first time, the principles are the same: define what success looks like before you start, embrace the learning curve, and back yourself.CHAPTERS00:00:00: Introduction and Ian's background in broadcasting00:04:30: Why Ian has never felt nervous on the mic00:06:30: Handling high-stakes pressure: the FA Cup final lesson00:09:00: Knowing your audience and defining success upfront00:13:00: Practical advice for first-time presenters00:19:00: Scripted versus unscripted delivery00:22:00: Word economy and the power of a pause00:27:00: Final tips and leader Ian admires: Gareth SouthgateGUEST BIOGRAPHYIan Stringer is an award-winning broadcaster, football commentator for BBC Radio Leicester and national platforms including Talk Sport, Sky Sports, and ITV, and a professional event host. He has commentated on over 1,000 live games, including Leicester City's historic 2016 Premier League title winConnect with Ian Stringer:LinkedIn: Ian StringerX (Twitter): @StringerSportInstagram: @StringerSportLeader Mentioned:Gareth Southgate (Former England Manager)Claudio Ranieri (Former Leicester City Manager)Richard Brooks Harley (Former Leader/Mentor)Thank you for watching/ listening.As. Editing my podcast used to be the most time-consuming part of my week. I now use Descript to edit my audio and video by simply deleting words from a transcript. It allows me to create my YouTube Shorts and TikTok clips in a fraction of the time.If you want to try it for your own projects, you can sign up here: https://get.descript.com/LevelUpUsing this link costs you nothing extra, but the small commission I receive helps support the work I do on my podcast and articles. Paid plans start at around £12 / $16 per month (billed annually) for the Hobbyist tier.Follow LevelUp!https://www.levelupleadership.uk/Music, jingles, and images - attribution.Podcast Background Track: https://pixabay.com/users/poorartistt-45918667/Guitar Jingle: https://pixabay.com/music/introoutro-guitar-intro-ident-151972/Swoosh Sound Effect: https://pixabay.com/users/universfield-28281460/Images: https://gemini.google/overview/image-generation/ & https://www.perplexity.ai/Background: https://pixabay.com/users/tommyvideo-3092371/Disclaimer.LevelUp and the podcast host do not endorse, verify, or take responsibility for any products, services, views, or claims presented by guests during podcast episodes. Any opinions or statements made by podcast guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of LevelUp or its representatives.© 2025 LevelUp.This episode is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International.To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/