Effective Communication Skills are Essential

What distinguishes the corporate executive, elected official, attorney or executive director is the ability to present in any environment in an effective, informative and captivating manner. And what distinguishes leaders from followers, respected and admired politicians from those whose presence is merely tolerated, successful business people from everyone else... is the ability to give a great speech.

With the exception of professional public speakers, most people who speak in public never learn the art of doing so. And make no mistake – public speaking is an art. It involves the ability to both organize your thoughts and to communicate them in a likeable, interesting, engaging and informative manner. It requires a speaker know her or his audience. It requires practice, insight, and knowledge of critical communication skills. And it requires an understanding of what audiences want on a substantive level and what they need on a performance level. Most importantly, it requires a speaker understand that the speech is all about serving the audience, not serving the speaker. And it requires a speaker comprehend he or she will never get another chance to make a good impression.