How to get better at public speaking: Tips from 10 experts

Welcome back to the C-Level Stories newsletter! You can check out prior issues here.

Getting your point across to a room full of people - whether you’re meeting in person or virtually through a screen - is an essential skill for any leader.

And yet, so many leaders and aspiring leaders feel inadequate in this area. The resulting anxiety and lack of confidence can be draining for speakers, uncomfortable for audiences and a downer for organizations. That's why I’m often asked the question:

“How do I get better at public speaking?” 

For this edition of the newsletter, I reached out to a few of my trusted colleagues to hear their top tips on this topic. What follows is a lightly edited compendium of their reflections. Taken together, it's a pretty good playbook for how to step up your speaking game.

Embrace Repetition, Reflection & Feedback

To get better, just like in sports and music, you need to give yourself the reps. This means volunteering for low stakes opportunities where you get to practice and test skills. Groups like Toastmasters are excellent for this. Reflection requires that after communication events you take time to think about what worked and what didn’t. People who fail to do this remind me of that old definition of insanity: "Doing the same thing over and over again while expecting different results." Feedback is critical. This is why coaching and taking classes is so important. We are not the best judges of our communication. We need others to help. -- Matt Abrahams, Bold Echo

Establish Trust

Effective communication has two essential components: conveying information and establishing empathy. Everything else - humor, polish, appearance, even the content itself - are merely tools to establish emotional connection and convey information. And of course, those two components go together: we believe information from people we trust. So if you think your public speaking needs work, try to determine what the problem is. Are you not conveying information effectively, or failing to establish empathy? When you can identify the underlying problem, that is 90 percent of the journey toward finding solutions. -- Seth Schiesel, Director of Executive Communications, Xbox (Microsoft)

Your Talk is a Gift, Not a Performance

Every talk is a GIFT, not a performance. What does your audience need? What do you have to offer them? How can you make this whole talk about them, not about you. Audience focus is essential. You can only tell that your gift was worthwhile if you survey your audience, so do so, frequently. And use what you learn to improve. -- Lisa Poulson, poseycorp

It's Not About You, It's About Them

Most of us become self-conscious when we have to speak before a big group, but that internal focus disconnects us from our audience. Next time you’re preparing, remind yourself that it isn’t about you, it’s about them. If you focus on what you have to offer your audience, and what they will get out of the deal, you’ll naturally be less self-conscious and more present and open for connection. -- Linzie Janis, Communications Consultant & Coach

Be Memorable with Vivid Anecdotes

Stories are remembered 22 times more than facts, so I have a few succinct, vivid stories that I know so well it doesn’t matter if I say them exactly right. They are true and heartfelt, and there is some universal lesson embedded in each. For example, my struggle to use my voice and be a leader stems from my third-generation Japanese-American parents being interned during WWII and being raised not to “make waves or stand out.” That story always resonates with a diverse audience. -- René Shimada Siegel, Partner AMF Group

Prepare a Plan, Not a Script

People want to hear from their leaders in a direct, authentic, and conversational way. Avoid the instinct to over-script and over-edit. Instead, try to get your presentation to the point where you could talk about something you know off the top of your head. How? Be clear about what your purpose is -- what you are trying to convey, what your audience really NEEDS to know, and the 3 or so key points you want to make. -- Andrew Blotky, Azure Leadership Group

Open Up with Personal Stories

Connect with your audience through storytelling - it humanizes you as a speaker because you are willing to be vulnerable. A personal story is more impactful and memorable than a Powerpoint slide with numbers and graphs. As Michelle Obama says: "It takes courage to share our stories with the world. But in doing so, we open ourselves up to so much grace, healing, and connection." -- Rohini Duvvuri, coach and diversity & inclusion consultant

Speak to Someone Specific

Take the time to really understand your audience. Use that insight to prepare with that specific audience in mind. When you feel like you are speaking to someone specific, not just at someone amorphous, you will come across as a more confident and connected speaker (in addition to delivering more resonant content). -- Daria Kissner, Strategic Communications Consultant

Know What Your Audience Cares About

"Know your audience" is my mantra. How can you be relevant if you don’t know what the audience cares about, thinks about or understands? Audience engagement is hard to measure, but I think you can feel it. Survey results post event are very telling. -- Allyson Husted, Husted Communications

Always Be Patient and Kind to Yourself

Pitch, pace, and the pause are often-forgotten levers for impactful public speaking. But they do come with a learning curve. So be patient and kind to yourself as you fine-tune. -- Daylan Burlison, VP Communications Genesys

Thank you for spreading the word

Thanks to LinkedIn for recently highlighting the last edition of this newsletter as their "idea of the day!" It's great to see these tips and reflections resonating with so many. Thanks for continuing to spread the word to colleagues and friends. See you in 2 weeks. -- Rebecca G.

p.s. Cover art provided by the talented painter Kristin Texeira, as captured by the photographer Nicola Parisi. Enjoy!