In the last few weeks we’ve looked at how to introduce a speaker, how to present an award, and how to accept an award. Now let’s look at the longer speech. If you’re like most people, being up in front of a crowd is often times nerve-racking and sometimes scary. To help ease your anxiety, the next time you are giving a speech, keep the following in mind…

The Longer Speech: You may not like to give speeches, but even those who turn most of them down will still be stuck once in a while having to give a speech. It’s best to be prepared, know what to do, and how to use visual aids to provide “take-home value” for your audience.

Every speech, no matter how brief or long, must have an introduction, a main body, and a conclusion. Every speech must have an attention-getter at the outset (and I don’t mean a joke) and a preview of what you are going to talk about. The main body of your talk is the bulk of what you will say. It is followed by a conclusion, which summarizes the body of your speech, and closes with a memorable statement that stays with your audience. In any presentation, think of your introduction and conclusion as 20 percent of what you will say, with 80 percent allocated to your discussion. Remember this short formula: Tell them what you’re going to say (the introduction), tell it to them (the discussion), and then tell them what you told them (the conclusion).

Communication is all about listening with the intent of understanding and conveying thoughts in writing and speaking with the goal of being understood. It is more than the mere words we hear and say. It’s about how we listen and say things, why we say what we do, and whether we are in phase with those with whom we listen and speak. Communication is one of the keys to life and to leading. Take it seriously and see your leadership grow.

Tags: Business Tips, Humility, Leadership Excellence, Leadership Skills, Project Leaders, Reputation, The Mind of a Leader