8 Ways Leaders Can Improve their Public Speaking Skills

“You can have a leadership title, but I don't think you can consider yourself a leader if no one wants to follow you. [For] people to feel confident in what you're saying and what you're doing, you have to be good at communication.”

These words come from Ryan Bennett, the Director of Oncology at Houston Methodist Clear Lake Hospital in Houston, TX. He has spent over a decade refining his communication skills to convey messages that resonate with his audience. I met with him to discuss how leaders can enhance their presentation delivery to inspire confidence and galvanize their team members to action.

In this article, we’ll break down seven key principles of public speaking that apply to leaders in every industry.

​

1. Know your audience.

Whether you’re leading a staff meeting or delivering a presentation in the boardroom, you’ll likely find yourself frequently communicating with diverse groups of people. One key component in delivering a memorable presentation is having a thorough knowledge of who you’ll be addressing. Bennett says, “You have to know the audience and what level [they’re at] because you may need to give more details for a certain audience [while] you can be pretty succinct and high level for another.”

To understand your audience, ask the Five W’s:

• Who are you talking to? Frontline staff? Executives? Shareholders?

• What do they value?  

• When does the problem you’re addressing typically show up in their day/week/year?

• Where do they usually look for information on this topic?  

• Why is your message relevant to their daily operations or company mission?

While your core message may stay the same, your delivery will change depending on your listeners.​ Catering to the differences between your audiences will enable you to present information in a way that is relevant to them.

​

2. Connect information with value.

As you present your charts, forecasts, and figures, remember that people ultimately want to understand the applicability of what you’re sharing. “You have to go into it wanting to connect and wanting to get people to buy in,” Bennett says. “Deliver a message where people feel like they are benefiting from the words you're saying.”​

Methods for evoking shared values will vary. If you’re in a team huddle, that connection may look like giving kudos to different members who have exemplified the company’s mission. If you’re doing a presentation in a room full of executives, you may share a report that shows the impact your company is making in the world at large. Big or small, connecting information to the human experience can draw your audience in and boost their interest in your message.

​

3. Know your material.

Often, when an individual is comfortable with a topic, they don’t feel a need to do much preparation beyond creating a PowerPoint presentation. However, when you look deeply into your presentation topic, you’ll be able to pick up on common counterarguments, insightful research to bolster credibility, and maybe even a few case studies to add some reality to what you’re presenting. Even if you don’t include every research article in your presentation, you’ll be better equipped to answer questions when they come (more on that later).

People know good work when they see it, and when you show up well-prepared, that will boost their confidence in you. So, do the hard work upfront and honor your audience’s time by developing your presentation well.

​

4. Practice your presentation.

Bennett specifically highlights the importance of going through a dry run of your presentation. “One way to get over the jitters and the nervousness is 100% preparation,” he says, “What is the message you want to deliver? [Go] through what that message is going to be, spend [time on] the verbiage, know the audience you're going to deliver it to.” When you hear yourself speaking, you’ll notice holes in your argument, awkwardly worded sentences that need to be adjusted, and parts of the presentation that can be removed altogether. By fixing the kinks in your presentation beforehand, you’ll have a better chance of breezing through it when you take the stage.

​

5. Learn to say “I don’t know” with confidence.

​After giving a presentation, you are invariably going to receive a question that stumps you. How do you handle it without appearing incompetent? Bennett notes, “Most reasonable people will know that you can't know everything. But they're still looking at you to be an expert in whatever you're talking about. If you can say, ‘I don't know [the answer] at this very instant, but I know how to get that,’ they'll be appreciative.” It’s better to tell someone “I don’t know” than to make up an answer on the spot. However, always follow up with the intention to get them an answer as soon as possible.    

​Bennett continues, “If I can give you 80% of something, then I'm looking for grace for the 20%. Through your delivery, people will be able to see that not only do you know what you're talking about, but you've taken the time to package the information and deliver it. So they can be confident that you will deliver the response they're looking for within a reasonable amount of time, too.”

​

6. Treat mistakes as a learning opportunity.

​The reality of public speaking is that you’re going to make mistakes from time to time. And when you’re presenting to individuals who have a high investment in the company, they will notice those mistakes, and they won’t let you off easy. The question then is—how do you recover?

​First things first, you need to adopt a growth mindset. Accept that you’re not perfect, and that there is always room for improvement. Otherwise, you’ll be stuck in a cycle of fear and avoidance.

​“I wouldn't be blown away [by] how many people haven’t achieved what they could…because they were too scared to fail, too scared to try.” Bennett says, “Failure is a part of development because you learn from it.”

​Instead of being embarrassed, embrace humility and say, “Hey, I can still learn something.” Regardless of how feedback is delivered to you, accept it. While not everyone’s opinion may apply to you, you can still consider their thoughts and learn from them. “Have a short memory as well.” Bennett states emphatically, “Learn from a mistake, and course correct as soon as possible so that the next time—and the next time could be tomorrow—you can nail it and knock it out of the park.”

​Remember: Mistakes are not the enemy. How you respond to mistakes will determine your success or failure.

​

7. Surround yourself with people who will build you up.

​Mentorship is an indispensable asset for every leader. Whether you can measure your career in months or decades, surround yourself with people who will give you honest feedback to improve your skills—even when their feedback deflates your ego.

​Bennett says, “Never take it personal[ly]. Take it as a growth opportunity. Take it as constructive criticism. Align yourself with people [who] genuinely want to see you succeed. When you have people in your corner, there’s no better fuel than that. People can have more confidence in you than you can have in yourself sometimes. There [are] people rooting for you.”

Every piece of advice taken to heart is a stepping stone on the path to becoming a better version of yourself. Learn to love and apply constructive insights, and you’ll experience exponential growth.

​

So...

​The art of public speaking is just that—an art. It may take years to develop into a powerful communicator, but you can start taking steps towards delivering impactful presentations today. Cherish this aspect of leadership, prepare well, and embrace feedback with confidence. By starting with small changes, you’ll become a leader who inspires trust and builds up your team one day at a time.

​

​

​