One of the best leadership skills I can recommend is being comfortable with public speaking.  Whether you are teaching your staff about new products or services, communicating with clients, speaking at a managers meeting or presenting an idea to the CEO, knowing how to get your message across clearly and concisely will take you far.  Learning to speak with confidence in front of others is a great way to show your leadership skills, it says that you know what you are talking about and want to share that knowledge with others.

More than one accomplished, self-assured manager has confided to me that they would rather walk over broken glass than speak in front of others no matter how well they knew the group or how large or small the audience. They are not alone; public speaking is consistently ranked among people’s top fears. So how can you appear self-assured when your knees are knocking, you voice wavering and your mouth is so dry your lips stick to your teeth?  In a word; practice. Public speaking is a learned skill, and with repetition it begins to feel like any other routine procedure you preform. When something feels ‘normal’ you lose your fear of it. 

• When people get nervous they tend to either clam up or ramble on. Settle your nerves by remembering your ‘audience’ wants you to give them the information they need so that they can do their own job well. They may not be happy about being there at 7:00 am but they do want to hear what you have to say.
• Know your topic.  The more you know about your subject the more comfortable you will be talking about it. Resist the urge to write out your entire speech, it will sound scripted. Instead refer to a detailed outline making sure to include all the highlights you want to hit.
• Practice, practice, practice. Out loud. Going over your notes just isn’t the same. Rehearse with any props or equipment you are going to use.  Revise until you are happy with how it sounds then rehearse again.
• Filter out your ‘um’s’, ‘ah’s’, ‘you knows’ and ‘yeah likes’. Don’t be afraid to take a moment of silence to formulate your answer. Smile and don’t forget to breathe.