Do You Need a Public Speaking Coach?

I have a friend who is very extroverted. She is a good communicator and had a great role in the financial industry before staying home to raise her children. A few years ago she started her own business and needed exposure and funding. She was chosen to give a presentation that would solve both of those issues. In talking with her I asked if she needed an extra set of eyes to help her craft and frame this very important presentation. Her answer... "I don’t need help. I’m an extrovert and used to to give lots of presentations."

I was there in the audience when she gave her presentation. She was passionate… but scattered. Her thoughts seemed disjointed. She uncharacteristically used a lot of verbal pauses. Sitting in my seat I could feel her frustration. In the end, she did not get what she was hoping for.

I have a client that is a well known country music superstar. She, along with her daughter, won 5 Grammy Awards, performed before millions of people, and sang at a Super Bowl half time. Needless to say, she was used to being in front of people… lots of people. However, unlike my friend, she reached out to me for help in crafting and framing her keynote speeches. How did she do? She knocked them all out of the park.

How fascinating is it that a superstar will reach out for coaching while most others do not?

Everyone Can Use a Public Speaking Coach

Know this: Extroverts need help in their public speaking skills. Even Superstars need coaching. Extroversion alone does not make a great public speaker. Focus, clarity and alignment are the foundations for a great presentation.

As my friend demonstrated, even extroverts need help in public speaking. As my client demonstrated, successful people are successful for a reason… they reach out for help in building their skills. They want to be the best. They are humble and/or hungry enough to get the professional coaching they need and want. They understand the importance of having a coach help them become the absolute best they can become. Successful people don't settle for mediocrity or "good enough." 

Message Preparation Matters

Have you ever listened to a passionate and charismatic speaker but walked away from the presentation unclear on what exactly they were trying to say? Have you ever experienced a speaker who took a lot of “off-topic rabbit trails”? What did you think when it was all over? How did it make you feel?

Great public speaking training and coaching is much more than simple delivery. A great public speaking course, seminar or coach will focus on creating, crafting and framing the presentation. Presidential speech writer and now Wall Street Journal writer Peggy Noonan says, “The most moving thing in a speech is always the logic.” Great presentations are not just just entertaining. They are focused, aligned, logical and building toward a desired outcome.

Have you ever had a coach or taken lessons?

What would stop you from getting help from public speaking coach or course?