How to be a Good Public Speaker: the 2 Most Important Elements

I got a phone call a few years ago from a lady named Kristy (not her real name). She had heard about me through a friend and called me because she was desperate for some help. Kristy was in her mid-to-late 30’s and was career-oriented, however, she had passed up a couple of opportunities to move into management because the position would require speaking in front of people. Kristy, like many people, had some social anxiety when being asked to give presentations whether in school or at work. The problem for Kristy, like many others, was that she gave a presentation at one point early in her career and was berated, belittled and made fun of by a boss. This was a traumatic experience for Kristy and caused her to feel intense negative emotions even when just thinking about giving another presentation. Her past trauma was the main  reason she passed on any promotions that would mover into a management position.

Kristy called me because she wanted to overcome her negative emotions and move forward in her career. She realized that she didn’t want the immature (and wrong!) feedback from a previous boss to continue to limit her success and keep her from reaching her potential. She wanted help overcoming fear and her bad experience. She also wanted help in building the skills necessary to become an effective presenter.

My experience, like with Kristy, has been repeated numerous times with lots of different people. My conclusion as a public speaking consultant, coach and trainer, is that becoming a great public speaker is really about 2 things. Yes, there are lots of details and nuances that one needs to understand to be an effective presenter. Yes, those details take refining and practice. Yes, with the right training and coaching you can fast track your learning experience. However, when examining the broad strokes of public speaking and the struggles that people have, it all comes down to just 2 elements.

The 2 Most Important Elements to be a Good Public Speaker

1. Confidence

Confidence is vital. I know that confidence might seem like a strange topic when talking about public speaking, yet the fear of public speaking is one of the most common and universal fears. In fact, the fear of public speaking ranks higher in many studies than does fear of snakes, spiders, heights… Confidence is important for all speakers especially those that are just beginning to speak in public or those that have had bad experiences when giving a presentation. As a public speaking coach, I know that one of the most important parts of my role is to help people grow in their confidence as a person, then as a speaker.

Confidence is defined, according to dictionary.com, as “full trust; belief in oneself or in one’s powers or abilities;  certitude; assurance.” Confidence is the anti-fear factor! According to thesaurus.com, some of the antonyms of confidence are “doubt, fear, timidity and distrust.” When aspiring speakers courageously address the fundamental issues of their fear they make two very important discoveries. 1. Most fears are illusions. 2. Public speaking fears can be solved and overcome.

When giving a presentation what are we fearful of? Who do we distrust? Why are we timid? When these questions are examined and addressed you are well on your way to building up your confidence.

2. Skills

Public speaking is a skill. As with any skill, it can be learned and developed. It is not an enigmatic ability that some lucky people are born with. Yes, some people relish the limelight and don’t deal with the full-on panic attacks that other people experience. Yet, even these behaviorally based extroverts experience a degree of anxiety and have their own stumbling blocks to learn to work through. As David JP Phillips rightly said, “there is no such thing as presentation talent, it is called presentation skills.” 

As an aspiring or developing speaker, when you understand that public speaking is a skill… that it can be learned, that there are identifiable steps that can make you better and that there are common pitfalls that everyone experiences… your mindset will shift. You will realize that public speaking, like any other skill, is learned and developed. You just need to learn how to do it correctly and develop those skills. “All the great speakers were bad speakers at first.” This quote from Ralph Waldo Emerson serves as an encouragement. Speaking is a skill. Everyone starts out as a beginner. Those skills can be developed. 

What are you doing to develop your public speaking skills? Are you prepared for your next executive presentation?