Communicate with Mastery

2Speaking with Conviction

When it comes to speaking with conviction, the good news is that we're all starting at an advantage. Every one of us has spoken successfully, meaningfully, and authentically before, and every one of us has—at one time or another—felt fully convicted of our ideas and convinced others to feel the same. The magic happens when we can investigate this process enough that we're able to repeat it consistently and, particularly, in high-stakes moments.

But while speaking may seem like a monolithic practice, it's actually made up of some important component parts. Before we can begin to speak, we need to manage our anxiety about speaking so that we can do our best—and feel comfortable in the process. And once we open our mouths, we're actually communicating in three important ways:

• Verbal (what we say)
• Vocal (how we say it)
• Visual (what they see)

Think of anxiety management and VVV working like the different parts of an orchestra. You'll still make beautiful music when only one of these elements is excelling, but approaching mastery of all of them together creates the kind of harmony that makes for truly compelling communication.

Managing Your Anxiety

Ask leaders whether they have anxiety about speaking, presenting, or leading a meeting, and you'll get any number of answers—everything from, “I don't get anxious—I've got this!” to “Depends who's in the room,” to “I'm absolutely terrified.” Regardless of our personal attitudes toward anxiety, we all find ourselves ...