Mark Twain said it best: “There are two kinds of public speakers: those who are afraid and those who lie.”

Even for those of us who enjoy it, public speaking can be intimidating. After all, it’s a moment alone in the spotlight; a moment when for a brief time, all eyes are on you, listening to what you have to say. Even the most confident of public speakers will sometimes wonder, “Will I live up to your expectations this time?”

Why then do we do it? Why do we submit to the work, the practice and (dare I say it) the need to muster enough courage to speak in public? Why do we need to face fear head-on and master this particularly intimidating form of communication?
The answer is that without a level of public speaking competence, we have no real hope of informing, much less persuading others beyond our immediate colleagues, about the strength of our ideas. Public speaking is the best way we have to allow those we don’t work closely with every day to hear our ideas and, by extension, witness our competence and skill. For anyone in or aspiring to a leadership position, communicating only in writing or through one-on-one meetings attended by a few colleagues is not an option. Deciding to leave communication to others is also not an option, not if you want to establish yourself as a leader.

How can someone know that these ideas or statements are really yours? How are they going to judge how strongly you hold those ideas or how passionate you feel about them if you don’t show them? How is our audience going to be persuaded of the strength of a position we hold, the knowledge behind that position, or the correctness or truth of it, if we cannot communicate our ideas ourselves? Email, paper reports, and third parties simply can’t replace “being there.”

Leaving communication to others means leaving leadership to others.

If you want to lead in any capacity, public speaking is one of the necessary tools you will need; as a necessary tool in your leadership toolbox as a mastery of the language itself.

But what if you already know how powerful public speaking skills can boost careers and help sustain existing ones? What if you are convinced but have allowed fear to stop you?
Again, we can go back to the words of Mark Twain, who defined courage not as the absence of fear, but as the mastery of it.

For anyone afraid of public speaking (and that would be just about anyone who has considered it), how do we harness our power of communication and become powerful public speakers? You CAN learn to communicate, share, inform, entertain and persuade others, and overcome the fear factor.
Start with 6 basic steps that all successful public speakers have mastered:

1.) Preparation is key

The most important thing you can do to increase your confidence as a public speaker is to be prepared. That means not only knowing your topic, but knowing your audience and what they need to hear from you on a given topic, on a given day. Preparation means always respecting your audience enough to do your homework, no matter how well you know your data. Case in point: Researchers and entrepreneurs often seek our help before reaching out to target audiences like investors. Communication coaches like me are not paid to tell those clients what they already know about their own work. Instead, we train them toward powerful communication of what they know, for a specific purpose. In this case, we work to understand what your target audience of investors needs and wants to know about your idea or product, to enable purchase and motivation to act. Likewise, learn to think of your audience as investors in your ideas. What do you need to tell them and what do they need to hear from you?

2.) Assume good intentions

If your audience didn’t want to hear what you had to say, you wouldn’t be there. If you’re not sure why your audience came, you’re both in for a tough time. Even those you have never met have expectations about what you will say and what they will learn from you. Make sure you understand your audience’s expectations so you can best meet them. Arrive early so you can speak one-on-one with some in your audience ahead of time and discover those expectations for yourself. Greeting your audience members in this way will also humanize them and help remove some of the fear of the unknown that is “audience.”

3.) Channel those nerves

Don’t seek to get rid of those fears (especially not by camouflaging them with artificial means like alcohol). Instead, understand that your fear is really energy that you will need to channel into your speech for a good performance. Get some of the ‘foam’ off that energy by doing some physical exercise (a brisk walk or deep knee bends if you can) like an athlete would before a race. Several deep breaths with slow exhalations will really help you slow down your racing heart rate and help you focus. Continuous deep breathing from the diaphragm as you speak will also help you control your voice and the level of your projection. Remember, your audience probably has no idea about your fear unless you tell them (and you don’t want to). Doing so will only lower your expectations. If you need extra help in those first few moments, consider opening with a question to the audience, a show of hands, or a prop. Taking the focus off yourself, even momentarily, can give you the boost you need.

4.) Take a risk

Many who fear public speaking retreat behind their materials. This is why the public dislikes powerpoints and podiums. We in the audience want to see the presenter present. In fact, that’s why we’ve come. Disappearing behind the podium or literally turning your back on the audience is disappointing and boring at best and annoying at worst. Reading a script ranks a close second to techniques that test the patience of the audience. They prefer to take a look at the real person behind the data program or printed speech. Think of public speaking as an opportunity to engage your audience with a story, your story. Try to speak to the audience in a way that they can really relate to and retain. Don’t tell them everything you know about a certain topic. Try to put your materials aside, from time to time, to really communicate a bigger picture than data or facts can provide. If you want to gain confidence while you’re up there, getting feedback from your audience is essential, and that requires eye contact. They have to see that you are engaged and interested in order to capture engagement and interest. The energy that comes back to you will help fuel better performance.

5.) Visualize success

Don’t allow yourself to focus on the worst of what could happen and indulge your fears. Replace that image by focusing on how successful you will be in giving your speech or presentation. Think ahead about how you would handle any mishap. PowerPoint crash? No problem, you know how to start your talk without it, while working on the problem. Do you notice that some in the audience lose interest? No problem – you’ve already considered how you’d change things up with some interaction with the audience and a change of pace. Tough questions after your presentation? You are ready, as you have prepared yourself for the most difficult thing that anyone can face you. Visualize a successful outcome for every negative aspect you throw at yourself. And remember that it is not the mishap, or the error that we will remember in the hearing, but the way you handled it.

6.) Commit

The most important factor for success as a public speaker is showing up. That’s how it is. You can’t win if you don’t play. Confidence is not something that others can give you and it is more than a state of mind. It comes from actual experience. Allow yourself to be involved so that you can have those real experiences that success in public speaking will provide. Everything: preparation, assuming that your audience wants to hear you, tapping into positive energy, taking risks, and allowing yourself to visualize success are basic to successful communication. But you can’t harness any of those ingredients and put them to work for you and your good ideas if you don’t allow yourself to get out in front of others. Don’t let others speak for you, whatever your job. Take the initiative and start accumulating the successes that will allow you to take on new challenges in public speaking. You will be surprised by the reaction of others to your ideas, your authority and your leadership, when you finally start speaking in public.