One of the biggest fears that many people have in life is that of public speaking. Problem is, shying away from public speaking could be seriously holding you back from reaching your full potential. The greatest leaders in the world are usually masters when it comes to public speaking. The squeaky wheel gets the grease, and when it comes to being a leader, you need to be heard!

Yet just being heard doesn’t qualify you as a great public speaker. Much more goes into it than just letting out your voice or reading a speech in front of a crowd. You need to know how to deliver your message, determine what your audience will respond to, and even have things like timing in the back of your mind. Being a good leader is about getting a crowd’s attention, having them respond to you, and leading them in the direction you want them to go.

Study the Masters

Mastering public speaking may be a tough job but, if you can do it, you will find that the doors to leadership opportunities will open and your career will achieve new heights! So just how do you get started in mastering public speaking? Sometimes with the unlikeliest of sources – comedians!

The key to becoming a great leader is to master public speaking – and, to master public speaking, you can watch and learn from comedians. I watch the Comedy Channel every night and see it in action. Comedians have 30 minutes of straight talking and, while it looks like they are laid back and it is an easy gig, it is actually much harder than you may realize!

Comedians need to capture an audience’s attention, hold it, perfect what they are going to say, know how to read and respond to an audience, and learn to master timing. They are the epitome of a master at public speaking! We should all hope to someday reach that level, where we can read a crowd like many comedians do on a regular basis. Tune in to the Comedy Channel and you will see what I mean. You may even begin to pick up on the comedians who do a particularly good job at public speaking, versus the ones who still need to perfect their routine.

What You Show

Ever notice, when you watch a comedian on stage, that you begin to take on their mannerisms? You notice what they do with their hands, the gestures they make, and even how they stand or sit. The same thing happens when someone is engaged in other forms of public speaking! Because of this, it is as important to keep tabs on what your body is saying as it is to keep tabs on your mouth.

Never underestimate the power of body language. The words you speak get amplified by your body language. Body language is a key component to being a great public speaker. You need to be aware of what your body is saying and showing the audience, fully as much as that speech you perfected. The truth is, half of what you are saying to the audience is in the form of body language, so make sure your body is saying what you intend it to!

Wash, Rinse, Repeat

When it comes to mastering public speaking and being a great leader, you need to get your message across to the audience. So just how do you go about doing that? You focus on familiarity and to do that you keep telling them what that message is, in several different ways, over and over again. A great leader is able to get their point across, engage an audience, and lead them to where the leader needs the people to be. You can do this, as well, through a three-step process. Tell them what you are going to say. Tell them again. And then tell them what you told them!