How is public speaking related to leadership? Public speaking drives people, encourages change and instils confidence among them, all of which are leadership skills.
A few months ago, I attended the QS Connect MBA to gain a better insight into the courses offered by the top management colleges. So, there was this one-hour session on how to follow the right career path by an MBA Graduate from Yale School of Management. His talk was so influential that it acted as a catalyst to accomplish my goals.
If ever I had a professor like that, I would have been a different person today. All my professors were Ph.D. holders, and yet they did not know to share their knowledge effectively. The principal aspect (I came to realise) is communication.
With the right communication skills, you can bring in true positive changes among people. And if you’re a leader or aspiring to be one, I’m guessing you would want to get in on this?
Why Is Public Speaking Important for Leaders?
We most often come across people who have an ocean of knowledge, but they would not know how to convey their thoughts effectively.
A leader who is also a public speaker is much more equipped to lead a team to success. Here is why public speaking is essential for leaders.
Help Bring Out the Best in People
When an intellectual person shares his thoughts and vision with others, he will be creating a positive impact on the minds of the audience. We need people who push us beyond our abilities. We need someone who would tell us how to become better.
We need a person who would help us achieve goals even when we don’t feel like it. For all that to happen, communication is essential, and a good leader will always try to bring in the best out of people.
Create an Impact
Not all speakers can create a lasting impact on the audience. Public speaking is essential for a leader to motivate the team members/audience. Influential leaders use impactful words and ignite the fire in people to awaken them and “get in the zone”.
We often deviate from our vision, and sometimes, a leader can bring us back on track.
Guide People to Have the Right Mindset
There will be conflicting opinions, whether in a workplace or anywhere else. So, a leader will listen, take into account all the viewpoints, measure the ideas, and come to a valid conclusion leaving the ego aside.
Learning public speaking can help a leader command these conversations better. They are better equipped to understand the problem at hand and communicate the solution effectively. After all, public speaking is not just about speaking, it’s also largely about listening.
Related Article: 5 Ways Public Speaking can Help you in Business
How Better Public Speaker = Better Leadership
Becoming a good leader takes time. You need to invest in yourself initially. A leader can guide others only when they are goal-driven and have an exciting vision. They possesses a vast amount of knowledge and are required to be clear-headed for strong decision-making.
Once you know what to do, you will be able to speak about your vision and mission clearly and align with like-minded people. Here is what you have to do to become a better public speaker.
Connecting with Your Audience
Public speaking is not just about speaking. It’s about connecting with your audience. You have to work on a bunch of things before delivering a speech and know who your audience is.
Leaders are often regarded as the ones having an ego, but a true leader will connect with people and empathize in a certain situation rather than pressurizing them.
Clear-headedness
Effective communication is all about clarity. You should have a clear message to your audience. Whether you start with a story or not, your endnote should be relatable and powerful.
A leader will leave the audience to think deeply about the meaning of the message. Whether you’re demarcating the tasks, or giving a speech, or just communicating with your team about your ideas, articulating what you want to communicate is essential to get your point across.
It Helps You Be Prepared for Unforeseen Situations
Public speaking does not always go as you expect. You might come across unexpected situations where you have to deal with it smoothly. A client putting you on the spot, a grinding job interview, a farewell speech for your co-worker are all unexpected situations which you would want to be prepared for.
Learning impromptu speaking can help you do just that. The more you go on stage, the more you will learn about impromptu public speaking and in turn, will help be in a better position to talk your way out of unexpected situations and think on your feet.
Be Open to Others’ Suggestions
You will be a good public speaker only when you are open to feedback from others. Suggestions from others will help you evolve as a better speaker. In the same way, being a leader does not mean you are always right.
Be open to new ideas, solutions, and welcome suggestions. It will take you to greater heights. Let go of the ego and treat everyone the same. During a meeting, you can invite your team members to present their ideas and suggestions.
Each one will have a different perspective on a particular problem, and you can come up with the best solution after weighing all the ideas from everyone.
Command Over Body Language Makes for a Better Leader
To become a better leader, you should practice honing your body language. Your hand movements and eye contact with the audience show confidence and an ability to take over a large group of people.
Your body language says a lot about you. Public speaking is one of the best methods of consciously working on it. You must be comfortable with yourself before going on stage, and that needs a lot of practice.
Your Researching Skills Improve
In a journey to learn public speaking, you will find yourself giving speeches on various topics. To deliver with an authentic sense of confidence, the topic must be thoroughly researched.
As a leader, when you deliver talks and presentations, it should be curated in a manner where you have your answers when someone questions the facts and figures you are presenting. This is where research skills start to become a necessity. The better you are at it, the better off you will be.
Helps with Becoming a Better Listener
As stated earlier, to be a better public speaker, you should be a good listener. A good speaker will be patient enough to listen to their audience’s opinions to provide better insights.
When you listen carefully, you will be able to deliver a speech perfectly. Public speaking is not a one-sided conversation (even though it can feel like this on the surface). While speaking, observe your audience, notice their body language, see how they are reacting to your words.
This can very easily apply to a board meeting, pitch presentation and job interviews.
By learning to read the room and manoeuvring through your speech accordingly, your communication becomes much more personalised and effective.
Practice… and Practice A Lot
The last thing about becoming a better public speaker or leader is to practice. Practice is communication training. No one can achieve the level of expertise in public speaking overnight. It needs to be constantly practiced and performed.
Like always, practice makes perfect and once you’ve learned how to deliver a speech in front of a large crowd, then you’re set for a new journey in your life.
The learning process will in itself, give you a lot of leverage as a leader. Your ability to empathise with people who aren’t effective communicators will improve. Since you understand the process, you will be in a much better place to help them better their skills.
Ways to Improve Public Speaking as a Leader
Being Comfortable on Video
The world is seeing a surge in the consumption of video. And there have never been more opportunities to be in front of the camera.
In my time mentoring aspiring public speakers, I’ve noticed that the better they become talking to a video camera, the more comfortable they are on stage. It’s simply an effect of letting go of a certain fear of judgement.
So, try and be in front of the camera more often. Don’t say no to opportunities when you get to be in the (literal) spotlight. It’s a quick way to make you more comfortable in front of crowds.
Join a Nearby Public Speaking Group
Joining a nearby public speaking club like a Toastmaster’s club can also help in becoming a better leader. It’ll be a learning journey without any doubt, and you will learn to interact better by meeting people who face the same fear as yours.
Engage in Conversation
Conversations are an opportunity to practice. It can be with anyone and about anything. It’s okay if it’s with a stranger or a loved one; engaging in small-talk is always an opportunity to improve yourself rather than just ending with greetings. Step up and be open with people, and don’t just be the receiver while talking. It will definitely help you in public speaking.
You can read this article to know how you can practice public speaking in your everyday life.
How Do Leaders Speak?
With Passion
Leaders drive the organization, be it in any form. Whether running a business of your own or not, public speaking is crucial for that. It’s like the fuel to the engine. When a leader motivates his team members, he drives them and brings them together to achieve the companies goals.
A leader speaks with passion because he works with enthusiasm for learning new things. Apple employees often claim how Steve Jobs would be able to motivate his team even when they were close to giving in. His sheer passion would transfuse to them.
Speaking with passion makes you more authentic and more likely for people to trust you.
With Decisiveness
Getting back to the point of clarity, when a leader communicates effectively what s/he wants, it comes from a place of decisiveness. Being able to make decisions quickly and clearly leaves lesser room for ambiguity and helps move the ball faster.
A structured speech with clear call to actions and takeaways are some of the most effective qualities of a leader who is also a good public speaker.
With Timeliness
Public speaking requires you to communicate your points within a certain amount of time. Leaders understand the value to of their time and the person they are speaking to.
Most leadership speeches are short or engaging enough to justify their length. Such speeches help be more clear and add more value to the listeners.
Final Thoughts
Public speaking and leadership are closely related to each other. There’s plenty of things public speaking will teach, and one can always get better with each passing day by not quitting right after the first fail.
While public speaking is often avoided by numerous people, one will only realize the importance after it is attempted.
It boils down to the simple truth of communication. If you want people to act a certain way you need to help inspire action. They need to be told and reminded of why they are doing what they are being told to do.
As a public speaker, mastering the skill of understanding your audience and learning to connect with them, you will be in a place to do just that.