Leaders need to be able to speak confidently, clearly, and concisely to others - yet surveys show that at least 10% of the US population fears public speaking more than death. Even if that isn't true for you, chances are that you might not be as effective or confident as a speaker as you would like to be. In this new series, we'll look at what you can do as a leader to both speak and present more effectively, and help coach others to do this too.

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I started off this episode by talking about how I used to HATE public speaking and feared any speech...for days in advance. My trouble started in third grade and followed me well through college. I describe what I did to overcome these challenges and outlined three steps below that I know will be helpful to you as well.

1) Get in front of people!

I looked for every opportunity to speak when I went to events

I volunteered to help out at work in giving recognition to others

You could also reach out to charities and non-profits - all need speakers!

I didn't mention this in the episode, but becoming an instructor for the Red Cross is a great way to start (I did this!)

2) Find someone who will give you positive reinforcement

Find a friend, colleague, or mentor that will support you regardless of what happens

Join an organization like Toastmasters that will give you tons of position reinforcement

3) Get good coaching

Once you're a bit more comfortable on your feet, get honest coaching for someone you trust

Attend a Dale Carnegie course - they are the best of the best on teaching people how to speak and present

Start to do some teaching...either volunteer work, in your job, or teaching a class one night a week at a community college

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Community News

The next series of shows is planned to be:

May 21st - presentation content

May 28th - presentation delivery

June 4th - using visual aids (especially PowerPoint)

Resources

This week, I mentioned Sherry Turkle's TED talk as a resource I think would be valuable for any leader who wants to be present for people in today's age of technology - and that should be EVERY leader!

A special thank you to Rick Gray who visited the Coaching for Leaders Facebook page in the last week and liked it! We're glad to have you as part of our community.

If what you've heard on this week's show has been valuable to you or if you've benefited from past episodes, please leave us a review on iTunes. You can do this at coachingforleaders.com/itunes and then click "View in iTunes." We are very grateful for your feedback!

Wherever you are in the world, whatever is on your agenda today, take one idea from this show to engage and develop someone you lead.