Public speaking is an important part of organizational leadership, regardless of the institution’s size. And as a leader, it’s crucial to keep working on your public speaking skills, especially since you’ll be heading meetings with staff members, partners, and prospective clients. So what exactly do you gain by improving your public speaking?
Improving your public speaking skills as a leader helps you gain the confidence to express yourself clearly and confidently, develop your unique style that resonates with your audience, and create a powerful presence. You’ll engage better with your team, build relationships, and earn their trust.
Leaders who can articulate their ideas with precision and confidence can shape the direction of their organization, inspire others to take action and be more influential in creating positive change. Read on to learn why public speaking is critical for developing your leadership skills and how you can become a better public speaker.
Why Is Public Speaking Important for a Manager?
Public speaking is important for managers because it allows them to communicate effectively with the entire team. When a leader communicates effectively, team members will have a clear picture of what is expected of them both in the short and long term.
The top benefits of public speaking include:
1. Improves Communication Skills
Public speaking helps to hone your communication skills – from ensuring you get your point across clearly, managing the flow of conversations, and responding quickly to questions and feedback. Clear, concise, and confident communication will lead to more successful projects and better organizational outcomes.
Confident communication will lead to more successful projects and better organizational outcomes.
2. Builds Credibility
Engaging, inspiring, and persuasive public speaking will help establish you as a credible leader. People are more likely to listen and be persuaded by someone with strong public speaking skills. Staff members will view you as an authority, especially if you communicate effectively and motivate the entire team.
3. Increases Confidence
Public speaking is one of the most intimidating activities for many people. Most people struggle with glossophobia – the fear of public speaking, but with practice and adequate preparation, you can become more confident in your public speaking abilities.
As people applaud your speech and thank you for your ideas, it will boost your self-esteem, allowing you to take on the challenge of managing a team more easily.
4. Improves Creativity and Problem-Solving
Leading a team requires creativity and problem-solving skills.
Public speaking helps to enhance your critical thinking and brainstorming skills, allowing you to develop innovative solutions for managing complex situations.
Public speaking helps to enhance your critical thinking and brainstorming skills, allowing you to develop innovative solutions for managing complex situations.
You’ll learn a lot as you prepare for your presentation, which improves your creativity and allows you to know more about the topic at hand.
5. Inspires Change and Motivates Team Members
Articulating your ideas and compellingly engaging with your team can help to inspire change and motivate others.
You can influence the direction of your organization, challenge people to think differently, and bring new ideas to the table.
A motivated team has higher productivity, better collaboration, and more successful projects.
6. Builds Your Reputation
Your presence, confidence, and success when speaking publicly can help to build your reputation.
As you share insights, ideas, and stories with a broader audience, you will become well-known as a leader who can engage, inspire, and motivate others.
You’ll gradually become an industry expert and build trust with stakeholders, colleagues, and other audiences.
7. Career Growth
Public speaking offers an excellent opportunity to enhance your career. It helps you demonstrate the skills and qualities necessary to lead a team. It can also propel your career forward, placing you in the spotlight, providing additional visibility, and, thus, more opportunities.
Organizations constantly seek leaders who can articulate their ideas and inspire others, so public speaking is a great way to stand out.
Organizations constantly seek leaders who can articulate their ideas and inspire others, so public speaking is a great way to stand out.
You’ll climb the career ladder faster and have more chances of success if you constantly improve your public speaking skills.
Public speaking allows you to gain the confidence to communicate ideas effectively, build credibility, inspire change, and motivate team members.
So, how do you improve your public speaking skills?
Tips To Improve Your Public Speaking as a Leader
Not everyone is born a gifted public speaker, but you can improve at managing and leading with practice. Follow these tips to hone your public speaking skills:
1. Prepare and Practice
The most crucial step to becoming a successful public speaker is preparation. Research the topic and use appropriate sources. Outline the key points, structure your arguments, and practice presenting them in front of a mirror or with a friend. Listen to feedback and adjust your presentation accordingly.
2. Make Eye Contact
Eye contact is essential for connecting with your audience. It establishes confidence, reliability, and trust in your message. Meet the team members’ eyes as you speak, look around the room, and pause to ensure everyone is engaged. Looking down or away from the audience can make you appear uncomfortable or disengaged.
3. Use Simple Language
Your message should be clear, concise, and easy to understand. Refrain from bombarding your audience with complex jargon and long-winded words. Use simple language and break down complex ideas into more straightforward concepts. This will also help to keep your audience’s attention and ensure they stay energized and focused.
4. Utilize Visuals
Visuals like graphs, charts, or images can powerfully impact the audience. You can use them to explain complex topics, clarify arguments, and emphasize key points. They help make your presentation more engaging, memorable, and easily comprehended.
5. Use Body Language Aligned With Your Communication Goals
Your body language speaks louder than words. Stand up straight, maintain an open and confident posture, and look more engaging. Kedon’tur hands engaged but didn’t overdo it. Use appropriate facial expressions and gestures to emphasize your points.
Here’s a masterful talk by Richard Greene where he delivers a brilliant presentation and outlines the 7 secrets utilized by renowned speakers throughout history. He emphasizes that by adopting these secrets and shifting from giving a mere “speech” to creating heartfelt “conversations,” anyone can attain greatness in public speaking.
Final Thoughts
Public speaking is an invaluable skill for managing and leading a team. It helps you build credibility, demonstrate knowledge, articulate ideas effectively, and inspire team members.
You can hone your public speaking skills and become a better leader with practice and preparation.
