Here's how you can enhance your public speaking and presentation skills as a leader.

-Audience Analysis: Take the time to understand your audience's demographics, interests, knowledge level, and expectations. Tailor your message and delivery style to resonate with their preferences and needs. -Engagement Techniques: Identify techniques to capture and maintain your audience's attention, such as storytelling, humor, interactive elements, and relevant examples. Adapt your content and delivery to foster engagement and connection with your audience. -Address Concerns: Anticipate potential concerns or questions your audience may have and proactively address them during your presentation. Demonstrating empathy and addressing audience needs can enhance your credibility and effectiveness as a speaker.

It goes without saying but making sure you tailor your presentation to your audience is key. The old adage less is more also rings true for presenting. If you present a few simple concepts well, people will remember it. Uta also great to add in techniques like humor and using a pause to add more effect.

-Clear Objectives: Define clear objectives and key messages for your presentation. Determine what you want your audience to know, feel, or do as a result of your presentation and structure your content accordingly. -Storyboarding: Organize your content into a logical flow or structure to guide your presentation. Create a storyboard or outline that outlines the main points, supporting details, transitions, and visual aids you plan to use. -Visual Design: Use visual aids, such as slides, graphics, and multimedia elements, to enhance your message and reinforce key points. Ensure that your visual design is visually appealing, easy to read, and complements your verbal communication.

-Rehearsal: Practice your presentation multiple times to build confidence, refine your delivery, and internalize your content. Rehearse in front of a mirror, record yourself, or conduct mock presentations with colleagues or mentors to receive feedback and make improvements. -Timing: Time your presentation to ensure that you stay within the allocated time limit and allow for adequate time for questions and discussion. Practice pacing your delivery and managing your time effectively to maintain audience engagement. -Feedback and Iteration: Solicit feedback from peers, mentors, or trusted colleagues on your presentation style, content, and delivery. Act on constructive feedback to refine your presentation and address areas for improvement.

The old adage that practice makes perfect rings true. To practice, I have been a member of Toastmasters International and highly recommend as a way to reinforce good presentation skills and techniques with others who are focused on honing their public speaking skills. Many companies have at work programs so you can practice presentations that you plan to give at the office. I look for other opportunities to do public speaking by volunteering to speak to youth groups on personal development topics like imposter syndrome, mentoring, etc. I also am an adjunct professor which is another way to practice speaking in public.

Some of the best speakers are masters of using emotion to take your audience on a journey where they will be hanging on the edge of their seats. The challenge is making sure it's authentic for you as a speaker.

Early in my career, my presentations were informative but lacked impact. I realized I needed to connect emotionally with my audience. During one presentation, I shared a personal story about overcoming a significant challenge, which resonated deeply with my team. This emotional engagement not only captivated their attention but also inspired them to embrace change.

Utilizing visual aids are great tools to help public speaker remember key points and keep the flow of the presentation. One important detail is to make sure slides do not become a crutch. To prevent this, slides should be clean with limited text. I've heard many times that slides should not contain more than three bullets or concepts. Another way to avoid using slides as a crutch is to practice your presentation so much that you present it without your slides….you should really know / be comfortable with your topic.

As a presenter, I view the question-and-answer session as an opportunity for direct audience engagement. I prepare for potential questions in advance and practice thoughtful, concise responses. When a question arises, I listen attentively, acknowledge the questioner, and then provide my answer. If I don't know the answer, I admit it and commit to finding out and following up later. This approach to handling Q&A not only demonstrates my confidence but also shows that I value audience interaction and am knowledgeable about my subject matter.

I love doing Q&A after I do a public speech, panel, or fireside chat as it’s an opportunity to practice extemporaneous speaking (or thinking on your feet). As you move up in the corporate ranks, it is good to request media training where you go through training normally done by your Public Relations or Communications teams who will train you to be poised and confident in your responses, how to handle controversial questions (e.g., potential layoffs). Media training really helps teach you how to handle Q&A questions, stick to company approved talking points, and deflect risky questions to the appropriate communications leaders who can adequately respond.

Public speaking could be a great way to increase your confidence and improve your speaking skills especially if you are on a job search. If you find yourself nervous before an interview, practice public speaking and see your confidence improve! Join groups like toast masters, practice your performance and watch your confidence and speaking skills grow.