To lead others means to project power and influence. But how do you do that in public speaking? You perform! Here are 7 ways to speak as a leader.

In my work as an executive speech coach, clients often tell me they want to "project power," and "speak as a leader." When I hear this, I always ask the same question: "What does it mean to you to project power or achieve the quality of leadership?  . . . How do you do it?" 

Almost no one can answer this question in terms of public speaking, however. How would they, when they've never been trained in effective performance for speaking as a leader?

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How Do You Speak With Leadership Presence?

Then I tell them what I think, in terms of how one achieves speaking with leadership presence. It's all part of knowing how to command any stage for public speaking. I don't speak in terms of the content of their talks and remarks, though—at least not at this point. I usually start out by mentioning the importance of the physical. 

Like actors, speakers must get an audience to understand what they (the actors or the speakers) are thinking and feeling. For the actor, of course, it's the character's thoughts and feelings. In both cases, the idea is for the audience to understand so that they (the listeners this time) can share the idea or the emotion. It's never enough to just say that thing, however. Just as in real life, people will pay most attention to what we actually do. Like the actor, then the speaker must externalize those thoughts and feelings through physical expression and the pace of one's performance.

That's what I try to get across first, because this is usually a new way of proceeding for the client hoping for leadership presence. Then I go into the other areas of performance that are necessary. Here are they, below.

The 7 Ways to Project Power as a Leader

1. Physical Presence. Rather than mentioning any specific action to take, I speak along the lines of what I said, above. What I mostly want is that the client start to think along these lines, i.e., to understand the importance of the physical in coming across as a leader. That includes posture and flexibility (literally not looking "uptight") and gesturing appropriately and strongly. (For more, download my Free White Paper, The Body Language Rules: 12 Ways to Be a More Powerful Speaker.) But as much as anything else, it means demonstrating energy. You must give an energetic performance.

2. Confidence/Making It Your Own. Closely related to this is broadcasting confidence through how you look and move (or even sit), and discussing the topic in your own (simple but powerful) terms. In other words, be sure to use the material of your speech in service of your narrative, not the other way around. Nothing makes us lose faith in a speaker like noticing he or she is hurried or overwhelmed by all of the content of this presentation. Hint: your slide deck is an excellent way to make this obvious. Simplify your visuals and fold them into a story! 

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3. Controlling the Pace. This is another performance practice that almost instantly tells us whether the speaker has the right stuff. We recognize leadership when we see that the speaker is taking this talk at exactly the pace he or she wishes to. In this way, confidence is demonstrated through a firm hand on the elements of performance. You become a speaker who is obviously in complete control. This is an illustration of power on the public speaking stage.

4. Connecting with Listeners. This is another area in which the mindset is as important as anything you do. It's vital that you not only realize that connecting with listeners is more important that the content you throw at them. You must look for and find ways to actually connect with these people. The easiest way to do this is to conceive of your talk from the very beginning in their terms, and find ways to speak to them as you present. You're not doing so if you just display content. Your narrative must mention them as frequently as you can, say the company's name, etc. Overall, make your speech sound like a conversation, not an oration.

5. Using Language to Your Advantage. Most presentations are much like all the others in that industry, often painfully so. In addition to PowerPoint decks with unimaginative structures and the never-ending sin of too-busy slides, the language of the narratives is bland and commonplace. Again, these are the words and phrases that everybody uses, so why shouldn't this speaker? (Here are 25 words and phrases in particular that you should avoid!)

The answer is that English is a rich language, with a distinguished history that can come to life with just a tweak here and there. As you put together your talk, take enough time to ask yourself if these words and phrases are really what you want . . . or instead, perhaps, this word or that phrase. You may come up with them yourself, or you can borrow them from a poem, novel, play, or nonfiction book (that's even better, because these sources are often rich and evocative and subtle in their meaning). When you practice, listen to the language you're choosing. The sounds of the words can be as interesting as their meaning!

6. Make Your Voice Expressive. If it already is, skip to Item #7. If it isn't as expressive as you like, start working on it. You don't need the vocal cords of an opera star to make your voice sing. Vocal quality, in fact, is only one piece of an interesting and productive voice. Even more important is variety. People in business who haven't had vocal training (that is, everyone) usually neglect one of their most powerful tools. The meaning of words is one thing; but imbuing them with emotion and inflection, pacing how they're delivered, and using silence for dramatic effect, will make your vocal delivery powerful and even delicious. This is how you can speak with the voice of authority—and sound like a leader. 

7. Be a Believer. Your level of commitment and investment in what you're saying (think of it as passion if you like), is crucial to speaking at the leadership level. It's often the clincher concerning whether we as audience members buy into what you're selling us and commit on our level to what you're proposing. Just as in the theater, balance is a key issue here. You don't, of course, want to be so passionate that we're embarrassed. But you'd better show us that you truly believe in what you're saying and are committed to making us understand that. Otherwise, you simply won't move us the way you want to.

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Gary Genard is an actor, author, and expert in public speaking and overcoming speaking fear. His company, The Genard Method offers live 1:1 Zoom executive coaching  and corporate group training worldwide. For nine consecutive years, he was ranked by Global Gurus as One of the World’s Top 30 Communication Professionals. He is the author of the Amazon Best-Seller How to Give a Speech. His second book, Fearless Speaking, was named in 2019 as "One of the 100 Best Confidence Books of All Time," and he has been named as One of America's 5 Top Speech Coaches. His handbook for presenting in videoconferences, Speaking Virtually offers strategies and tools for developing virtual presence in online meetings. He is also the author of Speak for Leadership: An Executive Speech Coach's Secrets for Developing Leadership Presence. His latest book is The Confidence Book: 75 Ways to Reduce Your Anxiety, Let Go of Your Fears, Change Your Negative Thinking, and Live Fully in the Moment. Contact Gary here. 

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