Lessons on Public Speaking from 12 Superstar Entrepreneurs

By Jonathan Li

If you're an entrepreneur, there will be times when you will need to speak in public. Your public speaking skills will help you grow your business by helping you to:

• Network with entrepreneurs and potential clients.
• Present live webinars to sell products and services.
• Sell on stage.
• Create YouTube videos to generate leads.
• Interview experts in your field.
• Do interviews with the media.
• Introduce yourself at networking events.
• Create podcasts to promote your brand.
• Develop online courses for your customers.
• Make sales presentations in front of prospects.

The question then becomes are you comfortable enough with public speaking to take your business to the next level? If you're like most people, you probably are not. The following quotes from a dozen real entrepreneurs will hopefully inspire you to speak in public with with the least amount of frustration and stress possible.

1. “We all have a life story and a message that can inspire others to live a better life or run a better business. Why not use that story and message to serve others and grow a real business doing it?”—Brendon Burchard

People love hearing stories from you because they show you are human. When they connect with you, they will buy from you and become your loyal customers. Brendon Burchard often shares the story of a being in a dramatic car accident which inspired this powerful message: “Did I love? Did I live? Did I matter?" With this life-changing story and message, Burchard successfully built a multi-million dollar online business.

You don’t need to have a life-or-death story to inspire others. Tell the story that makes you the entrepreneur you are today, and watch your business grow.

2. “Your ability to communicate with others will account for fully 85 percent of your success in your business and in your life.”—Brian Tracy

The number one skill to becoming a successful entrepreneur is communication, especially public speaking. When you express ideas effectively, you will easily persuade people, get more sales, and achieve business success.

3. “Too many of us are not living our dreams because we are living our fears.”—Les Brown

Psychologists say that most people fear public speaking more than death. Isn’t that crazy? The fear of public speaking stops entrepreneurs from living their dreams: spreading their message to the world. Only when you get over public speaking anxiety will you will truly become a highly confident leader that people trust and follow.

4. “You are not being judged, the value of what you are bringing to the audience is being judged.”—Seth Godin

Many clients tell me that they are terrified about being judged by an audience. The easiest way to overcome this fear is to focus on your audience. Focus on creating massive value that will improve your prospects’ and clients’ lives. Focus on your audience and your fears will go away.

5. “Never worry about your accent—in American public life you can never underestimate the advantages of complete and total incomprehensibility."—Arianna Huffington

When Arianna Huffington first moved to New York, she was worried that her accent would be a roadblock to growing her business. But later on, she found out that it was exactly her accent that made her stand out. Today, The Huffington Post is one of the largest online publishing platforms in the world.

6. “Simple and to the point is always the best way to get your point across.”—Guy Kawasaki

Guy Kawasaki says if you're giving a presentation, your slides should be easy to understand so that people can get the main message within three seconds. How do you do this? Follow Guy Kawasaki’s 10-20-30 rule: Go through 10 visually-engaging slides within 20 minutes and make sure the font size is at least 30 points.

7. “If you don’t want to preach, put stories in your speech.”—Andy Harrington

Stories should be the heart of your speeches. Instead of being a speaker who brags, tell a personal story that connects with your audience. When people connect with you emotionally, they will trust and like you, and most importantly, do business with you.

8. “The first time you say something, it's heard. The second time, it's recognized, and the third time it's learned.”—John Maxwell

Repeat, repeat, repeat . . . your message. Repeating your message helps prospects and customers remember what you say and motivates them to take action. This simple yet important tip will make you memorable in a crowded and competitive marketplace.

9. “You don’t have to change who you are, you have to become more of who you are.”—Sally Hogshead

In her book How The World Sees You, Sally Hogshead shares the importance of being yourself. The world does not need another Donald Trump or Bill Clinton. The world needs you to be you. Therefore, be real and grow a business that you truly love.

10. “It’s what you practice in private that you will be rewarded for in public.”—Tony Robbins

People say practice makes perfect. But this is not true. To become a superstar entrepreneur, you need to practice public speaking the right way. Only by getting feedback from coaches, you will improve public speaking skills quickly.

11. “More present moment engagement = less crappy thoughts.”—Marie Forleo

Let's say you have prepared your presentation and practiced the right way. Still nervous? Focus on the present. Be excited about having an important message that you can’t wait to share with your audience. Being present helps turn your fear into excitement, and that excitement will help you rock the stage!

12. “Picture yourself in a living room having a chat with your friends. You would be relaxed and comfortable talking to them, the same applies when public speaking.”—Richard Branson

Sir Richard Branson used to have terrible public speaking anxiety. A coach advised Branson to talk to his audience as friends. With this practical tip, he successfully got over the fear of public speaking and became the public face of the Virgin Brand. In the same way, when you speak in public, picture your audience as friends. You will feel less nervous and more confident.