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The Art of Public
Speaking and Communication

One big part of building a personal brand is public speaking. Communication and public speaking include being able to communicate one-on-one, speak to thousands on stage, or speak to a few dozen professionals at a local chamber of commerce event.

In a few hundred words, I can’t teach you how to communicate or speak like Tony Robbins. However, I encourage you to take the time to develop your public-speaking skills. There are countless free resources available online. Take it one step farther with the numerous courses, classes, seminars, and conferences out there that can put those skills to practice. I recommend Toastmasters, which is a wonderful organization to help you perfect the art and science of public speaking.

From my over twenty years of public speaking, here are a few tips to get you started:

  1. Perfecting clear communication takes time. I’ve been a professional speaker for over twenty years, and I get better each time I’m on stage.
  2. There are different types of speaking. Someone who is exceptional at communicating one-on-one will have a different skill set than someone who excels at speaking to an audience of thousands on stage.
  3. Know what you’re talking about. Don’t try to speak about leadership if you know nothing about leadership and have no experience in it.
  4. Elevate your voice. Many people think they speak loud and clear, but they don’t. You can get voice lessons in how to elevate your voice and speak with power and clarity.
  5. Own the stage. Don’t stand in one place like a potted plant, but don’t walk aimlessly around the stage like a puppy! This takes practice. I’ve seen amazing speakers who pace around the stage. This is annoying to the audience, and you might get dizzy!
  6. Be a storyteller. Be sure to use examples and a story to convey your thoughts and build empathy and trust with the audience.
  7. Connect with the audience. If the audience is your “friend,” if they smile with you and laugh with you, then you’re well on your way to a great speech.
  8. Prepare. Don’t just walk onto a stage and talk. Know your audience. Know the room. Practice your presentation.
  9. Communication is first and foremost about listening. If you’re on stage speaking for sixty minutes, you need to “listen” to the audience ahead of time and get to know as much as you can about your audience. If you’re speaking one-on-one or in a small group, take the time to ask questions and listen to the needs of the people around you.
  10. Have good diction. I know I speak way too fast, so when I speak, I think conscientiously about s-l-o-w-i-n-g down. If your accent is unfamiliar to the audience you’re speaking to, be aware of this.
  11. Energy and passion. People can feel your excitement. If you’re boring, they’ll be bored. If you’re excited, they’ll be excited. You can telegraph your emotion in your body language, facial expressions, and tone of voice.
  12. Think about your words. There are many executives who communicate via Twitter or phone calls or from stage and wish they could take back their words. Words matter. Words have meaning. Think before you speak.
  13. Pause. Pause for effect. Think about your favorite comedian—mine is Steve Harvey. Do you notice how he pauses for emphasis or to get your attention?

Think about someone whose words you heard and who captivated your attention, who caused you to want to hear more and to take action. Sometimes it was in the context of a major need or event—such as Martin Luther King Jr. and the civil rights movement. However, for most of us, it’s not about something so grand. It’s about getting someone to buy an annual consulting contract, convincing a mom to try out your daycare service, or getting a group of teens to do better in their internships. We communicate all kinds of ideas to all kinds of people in all kinds of scenarios.

The more you boost your personal brand, the better you can convey ideas, excite your audience, and get them to take action.

Diane DiResta,27 mentioned earlier as a personal branding small giant, is a communication expert and shared with me her advice on the importance of communication:

Speaking is the new competitive advantage. You can no longer be without this skill. Speaking is a leadership skill. And how you speak is your personal brand. You can actually manage or change perception by the way you present yourself. People who have good presentation skills have more success in job interviews, get more promotions, make more money, and are more influential.

I coached a CEO of a Fortune 1000 company. He wanted to convince the executive committee to fund the building of a vaccine facility. The cost would be $300 million. There was no guarantee of success, and then there would be three years of clinical trials. He got the approval, and that $3 million investment turned into a $1 billion success. Without powerful presentation skills he would have lost the opportunity and the company would have lost a great opportunity.