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Speaking Like a Leader

Public speaking is a major fear for alot of people. I don’t fear it, it’s just out of my comfort zone, so I just don’t choose to do it on a regular basis. Interesting that part of my job involves councelling others on how to do it. Having received professional media training in the past, I know not to wear stripes on camera, and to have lemon drops in my pocket at all times. Put me in front of a crowd though, and butterflies replace all my training. I’ve been working with Jim Gray, communications expert, and author of How Leaders Speak: Essential Rules for Engaging and Inspiring Others. Had I read this book BEFORE my first official attempt at speaking to a large group, I would have done things differently. The first tip is a good one: know your audience. I did have the forethought to learn who my audience would be, and what they’d want to know (how publicity works, and how it will affect them, and most importantly, their book). The second tip is an eye-opener: Find and create ‘the nugget’. This is a piece of information that your audience might not know, or have overlooked. Your audience will pay attention, and you’ll gain credibility. Interesting. Third tip is make a video rehearsing. Some executives  feel that rehearsing takes too long, or takes the freshness out of a presetation. Quite the opposite. You’ll sound more polished. Fourth tip is don’t rely on PowerPoint. Have a print out of your presentation in your notes. Test your technology before your presentation. Have a checklist of materials before you leave the office or home. Fifth tip is know your environment. Check out the room beforehand, know the setup, where equipment and chairs will be.  Jim Gray writes that most nervousness isn’t obvious, and that pre-presentation jitters are a good thing. One final suggestion the author makes that I found extremely helpful is in regards to Q&A at the end of the presentation. I’ve always found it’s good to have someone you know and trust in the audience who will ask a question if needed, just to get things going (audiences can be shy). If that’s not possible, and there’s that dreaded pause after ‘anyone have a question?’ – state ‘ here’s a question I’m always asked….’ and then answer it… it’ll get the conversation going, and take some of the pressure off of you. All good stuff. If you give presentations on a regular basis, How Leaders Speak is a great book to check out.

Tags: How Leaders Speak by Jim Gray, public speaking, speaking tips for authors

About the author

Karen has been active in the Canadian publishing industry for almost fourteen years. During that time, she's worked in the marketing and publicity departments of numerous publishers including Owl Books (now Maple Tree Press), Stoddart Kids, and Penguin Group Canada. She joined Dundurn Press in October, 2009 as their Publicity Manager. While she enjoys a good scary movie, she doesn't like it when people sneak up on her.