Speech delivery a must-have skill

In today’s corporate world, speech delivery skills and competences are of extreme importance. Without these skills, it would be difficult to influence decisions, form networks and inspire change within a corporate entity.

Consequently, speech delivery skills are an important part of communication and important skills to have for corporate leaders. Indeed, speech delivery skills are not only important to have but a must-have for any leader who aspires to be effective in performing his/her duties.

Certainly, no effective leader in living memory has been a poor orator. Well-prepared, inspirational, motivational and memorable speeches and delivery entail a process that requires hard work and commitment. Undeniably, this is applicable to either a preacher giving a homily in church or a president mobilising his or her citizens to a cause.

Moved by the desire to develop these skills in its leadership, some corporate entities are now encouraging and sponsoring their managers for training to help them acquire these important skills. Such entities have realised that without the managers honing such skills, it would be impossible to inspire change or achieve corporate objectives.

Corporate leaders must, therefore, polish their speech delivery skills from time to time. This is because, as leaders they are expected to provide direction for their team members, build a dream for the future and drive innovation. Irrefutably, for corporate leaders to impact change or inspire a certain cause, they must deliver inspiring messages to their team.

Therefore, it goes without saying that if you want to be an effective corporate leader, you must have good speech delivery skills. Good and effective corporate leaders must deliver inspirational speeches to their teams or colleagues and not boring prepared statements that send their teams to sleep.

As a leader, speaking gives you the prospect to win the hearts and minds of your people. Therefore, a good speech is a fantastic way to break down the barriers of what was previously considered impossible.

One leader who has perfected the art of speech delivery is former US President Barack Obama. He could not have ascended to the American presidency were it not for his mastery of speech delivery. Indeed, inspirational and even motivational speech delivery is the secret of his success and gravitational pull both in America and in the wider world.

Obama has moved people far beyond America with his speeches. One thing that comes out clearly is that his speeches are well researched, prepared, rehearsed and delivered in a process that involves commitment. One way to measure a well-delivered speech is that the audiences will remember what you said long after you said it.

Being good in speech delivery does not mean loading your speech with jargon or vocabularies, or speaking loud and fast; it means speaking in plain and simple language that drives your message in the simplest language. Further, one needs to understand his/her audiences well and this can be achieved through audience analysis that allows you to map out your audiences.

Finally, the 3Cs rule is a critical skill for effective speech delivery. This means your message should be clear, concise and consistent. Always stick to the issue at hand and avoid loading your audience with unnecessary information.

Communication specialist and certified public relations analyst