When everyone's experienced and talented, who's most likely to get the next great opportunity?
In the companies we work with, smart people tell us: It's the person who can communicate.
Especially, the person who is skilled at public speaking.
That perception is backed up by the actions their leaders take. We regularly train brilliant people to speak and present, because their companies want to promote them.
In order to move up, these brilliant people have to be more than brilliant at their jobs.
They have to be able to simplify complex information, describe things that don't currently exist, and inspire others to take action.
Visibility Beats Competence (Even When It Shouldn't)
Perhaps you've noticed this, too: You can be the most skilled person on a team and still be overlooked, if your ideas stay in your head—or come out hesitant and rambling.
And fair or not, you'll see someone who speaks up and shares their ideas clearly starting to impress others as the more capable one.
Honing your public speaking skills in order to advance your career isn't about being the loudest person in the room, though.
Naturally expressive, dynamic extroverts don't necessarily have the edge. Effective communication—including great public speaking—can and should be done in a style that suits you.
Executives Need Confidence in Your Ability to Represent
Along with the skills to do the job, bosses want to know: How will this person represent our company, our department, and me?
That's why the ability to present is often a bigger factor than you may realize.
Great speakers not only deliver planned messages with clarity, they also know how to think and speak on their feet, so they can:
- Lead discussions
- Align teams around ideas
- Handle tough questions with composure
- Explain the “why” behind decisions and actions
When you can deliver these skills, you make yourself an attractive representative of your company and let them see how they'll be rewarded for the confidence they are investing in you.
Great Speakers Reduce Friction for Decision-Makers
Here's one of the top requests we get from CEOs who send people to our program:
Please help! Stop this person from telling me everything they know. Teach them to tell me only what I need to know.
Managers and executives are swamped with information. They have to make lots of decisions with limited time.
So naturally, they want to promote people who make that work easier.
You make yourself more valuable when you learn to:
- Get to the point quickly
- Highlight what matters
- Anticipate questions
- Offer clear recommendations
Instead of doing an information dump and forcing others to sift out what's important, a smart speaker organizes information so it's easy to process.
A great speaker applies critical thinking, makes judgement calls, prioritizes points, knows what to leave out, and leads with the most important information.
Gaining the skill and confidence to communicate like this makes you the person executives want to work alongside.
It's About Being Effective, Not Perfect
We see the words "cultivating executive presence" on a lot of people's wish lists. We all have some notions about what that means. Some even have very specific qualities they want to enhance.
But in our experience, we've seen that executive presence, however you define it, tends to start with strong communication. Because there's more than one way to be a strong speaker, there's room for you to find the style that works for you.
What matters is:
- Being clear, not perfect
- Being simple, not fancy
- Being intentional, not verbose
At The Buckley School, we call this working for the audience. It's a shift in that can level up your confidence as a speaker.
When we work for the audience, we stop thinking about how impressive we may or may not be.
Instead, we think about the opportunity to connect and what we can do to make information more accessible and interesting for our audience.
The Secret Sauce: Translating Complexity
In some jobs, especially highly technical jobs, the challenge isn't only in doing the work. It's also a challenge to explain it.
People who get promoted faster are often the ones who can:
- Turn complex information into simple explanations
- Adjust their message to appeal to different audiences
- Be selective about details and connect them to bigger business outcomes
In other words, these speakers create a bridge between thinking and action.
They put numbers in context, so people can readily understand how the data applies to them.
They make it a habit to not just talk about features (what this thing can do) but to also connect features to benefits (how it will help me).
How to Start Building This Advantage
Public speaking is a skill. That's great news, because skills are something we can all build.
And you don’t need to become a professional speaker overnight. Small changes make a big difference.
1. Structure everything you say
Before speaking, think:What's The One Thing I want this audience to know or feel? How can I use the Rule of 3 to organize information into three supporting points?
2. Lead with the conclusion
Don’t build up to the big idea. Start with it, then explain as necessary.
3. Practice speaking in low-stakes moments
Look for the opportunities right in front of you. Meetings, updates, casual discussions—these are all training grounds where you can get in reps.
4. Eliminate unnecessary complexity
If something is hard to explain, simplify it until it isn't. This isn't the dreaded "dumbing it down." This is smart speaking that requires extra effort on your part.
5. Ask for opportunities to present
If public speaking isn't part of your job, make it known you'd like some opportunities. Decision makers can't know you're capable if they don't see you in action.
