YouTube Your Way to Better Speaking

(page 2 of 2)

Both men speak with clarity and passion.

Cisco: In addition to Steve Jobs, another person I enjoy watching is Cisco Chief Executive Officer John Chambers. His body language is magnificent. He also works the crowd, maintains eye contact, speaks eloquently, and rarely, if ever, reads from slides (reading from your notes or slides is a sure way to lose an audience). All of his keynote addresses, presentations, and interviews are open to everyone on the "newsroom" section of Cisco's site.

CNBC: Although much of the video material on CNBC is free, it has compiled a king-sized video library called CNBC Plus. With a subscription, you can view archives of more than 40,000 video clips—from pundits forecasting the next moves of the market to CEOs discussing their companies. I find it instructive to watch business leaders who effectively answer difficult questions about earnings, announcements, competitors, lawsuits, or recalls. Watch as the world's top leaders handle themselves confidently and gracefully.

CNN: CNN's access to world leaders is unmatched and the TV network continues to place more of its interviews online. I recently watched an archived interview with former U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell on Larry King Live. Powell answers tough questions crisply and succinctly. He also has great posture—a commanding presence he must have picked up in the military.

BusinessWeek.com: Let's not forget our own BusinessWeek.com—The Video Views section brings you some of the most noteworthy authors and business leaders in Corporate America today. Business leaders like Avon (AVP) CEO Andrea Jung, JetBlue's (JBLU) David Neeleman, and eBay's (EBAY) Meg Whitman are just a few of the guests who can help you explore concepts in business leadership that you can weave into your own conversations. Teach your listeners something new and you'll gain their confidence.

Finally, have some fun and learn something about presentation skills at the same time. On YouTube, search for Don McMillan and PowerPoint. McMillan is a former engineer who does corporate comedy. He pokes fun at the PowerPoint culture by creating a hilarious PowerPoint presentation in his act.

Business leaders who are great communicators are constantly looking for ways to improve. Use the powerful tools at your fingertips to discover new, effective ways to electrify your audience during your next meeting or presentation.

Carmine Gallo, a business communications coach and Emmy-Award winning former TV journalist, is the author of 10 Simple Secrets of the World's Greatest Business Communicators and Fire Them Up! He writes his communications column every other week.