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\nWant to expand your reach as a leader?<\/strong>\u00a0Deloitte<\/a>\u00a0partner Jennifer Knickerbocker has a tip for you: Become a more confident public speaker.<\/p>\n As you move up as a leader, you\u2019ll eventually make the leap from leading two people to leading 20 (or 200 or even 2,000). You might need to rally a team,\u00a0convince an organization to embrace change<\/a>\u00a0or inspire a group of people to take action\u2014and when you do, you\u2019ll need to move beyond communicating effectively with individuals and start successfully addressing large groups of people.<\/p>\n To support that increasing responsibility, Knickerbocker, who leads Deloitte<\/a> \u2019s Global Compliance and Reporting Services practice, says\u00a0public speaking skills are priceless<\/a>. It\u2019s an essential skill for any up-and-coming leader whose job requires him or her to influence, persuade and motivate people\u2014lots\u00a0<\/em>of people.<\/p>\n \u201cDone well, public speaking is a way to quickly establish your credibility and communicate with a wide audience, versus communicating one-on-one,\u201d she says. \u201cEffective speakers are better able to create a followership and build momentum for their messages.\u201d<\/p>\n Mind you, Knickerbocker didn\u2019t start out as an amazing speaker. Far from it, in fact! \u201cI started from a place where I was\u00a0not<\/em>\u00a0being effective,\u201d she explains. \u201cI was often seen as deferential, and therefore, not someone who had valuable opinions.\u201d<\/p>\n In the corporate workplace,\u00a0confidence is often confused for competence<\/a>, so Knickerbocker suggests that when you speak up in a way that seems tentative or deferential, you take the power out of your contribution.<\/p>\n Are you inadvertently signaling that you lack conviction in what you say? If you\u2019re struggling to get others to follow your lead, it could be that your lack of comfort with public speaking or your hesitation to speak up is undermining your message.<\/p>\n So how did Knickerbocker develop into the powerhouse speaker she is today? She learned everything through practice, self-evaluation and the coaching she received through Deloitte\u2019s NextGen leadership<\/a> development program for high-potential leaders. Now, she\u2019s sharing her four keys for success.<\/p>\n 1. Get StarTED<\/a><\/em><\/b><\/p>\n Knickerbocker recommends watching a few TED talks to\u00a0see the many different ways effective speakers get their messages across<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cWatch how these speakers command an audience with confidence, a concise message and strong vocal projection and body language,\u201d she advises.<\/p>\n As you watch, make a list of techniques you\u2019d like to add to your repertoire. And don\u2019t be intimidated by your favorite TED speakers; many of them followed these four tips themselves at some point or another when they were learning to speak\u2014and lead\u2014more effectively!<\/p>\n Related: <\/strong>5 Ted Talks To Watch Before Your Next Interview<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n 2. Record. Play. Rewind. Play. Repeat.<\/b><\/p>\n It wasn\u2019t by chance that Knickerbocker got better at public speaking; she made a concerted effort to observe, critique and build her public speaking skills. \u201cI watched myself on videotape over and over,\u201d she said. \u201cIt was painful at first!\u201d<\/p>\n To replicate her results, all you\u2019ll need is a smartphone and the determination to get over the awkwardness of watching yourself speak. Then, follow this four-part technique developed by\u00a0Ed Tate<\/a>, winner of the Toastmasters World Championship of Public Speaking:<\/p>\n Watching yourself speak can be cringe-inducing for sure, but the results you\u2019ll see are well worth the discomfort.<\/p>\n Related: <\/strong>How I (Finally) Got Over My Fear Of Public Speaking<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n 3. Don\u2019t Settle For Hearing \u2018You Did Great\u2019<\/b><\/p>\n From all of the areas for improvement that you\u2019ve identified, select one aspect of your performance that you\u2019d like to work on first, such as improving your body language, staying on-message or making meaningful eye contact with your audience. The next time you\u2019re presenting,\u00a0enlist a buddy to critique you<\/a>\u2014sincerely and constructively\u2014on just that specific aspect of your presentation.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen I make a presentation that\u2019s important to me, I find someone in the audience I trust and ask them to focus on one element and give me honest feedback about it,\u201d says Knickerbocker. \u201cThat way, I have one person watching me to\u00a0make sure I make eye contact<\/a>\u00a0or that I don\u2019t say \u2018um\u2019\u2014someone committed to giving me honest feedback and not just saying, \u2018You did great!\u2019 which is nice, but isn\u2019t going to help me grow.\u201d<\/p>\n Hearing constructive criticism isn\u2019t always easy, but it\u2019s a critical step in your ongoing evolution as a more effective speaker and leader.<\/p>\n 4. Stop Avoiding It And Just Do It<\/b><\/p>\n Knickerbocker\u2019s parting advice: \u201cSimply stop avoiding public speaking. Take a deep breath and make a decision to embrace the discomfort.\u201d<\/p>\n Related:<\/strong> 3 Ways To Seem Powerful, Not Petrified, At Your Next Presentation<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n So,\u00a0just go and do it<\/a>. Learn from watching great speakers in action. Embrace the awkwardness of watching yourself on video. And don\u2019t settle for hearing \u201cyou did great.\u201d<\/p>\n If you persist, the payoff for your career can be huge. Knickerbocker says, \u201cToday, I\u2019m a far more effective speaker, which has built my credibility and opened doors that have led to more opportunities to lead initiatives and speak to large groups of clients and colleagues at conferences.\u201d And you can do the same.<\/p>\n This article was originally published on\u00a0The Daily Muse<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n\n