My Top 3 Tips for Speaking Effectively

Lakshmi Ramachandran
Nov 23, 2025
4 min read

Welcome to P.O.W.E.R UP (Brilliance to Influence) edition #14. This is a newsletter for leaders who wish to turn expertise into influence, and ideas into impact.

Unclear message = lost audience and audience lost :)

I was eagerly waiting for the keynote speech to start. I'd learned that this professor was very well-known in his field (Science & Technology). The session was attended by the top-most senior leadership and around 200 people.

But as the speech started, I was surprised to note that the professor was reading from notes. And the first five minutes made no sense as to where this was going. Here was someone with immense credibility and the opportunity to make a real impact, but the message was getting lost.

It got me thinking about my own journey with public speaking.

My Journey: From loving the stage, to losing my voice

I've loved speaking since my teens. During my Masters and PhD, I won awards for my presentations. I felt alive in front of an audience. But then life happened, and I faced a career setback. I lost my then job and a future opportunity at the same time. There was also a breach of trust that affected my faith in people as well as my confidence. I spiraled down, lost myself. And my voice.

But I refused to let that be the end of my story.

I looked for speaking training opportunities everywhere. I invested heavily in myself in terms of effort, time, and money. It was one of the best decisions I've ever made. Today, I've not only spoken on multiple global stages, but I'm also the creator of a six-week public speaking course for university students.

Today (24 Nov) is my birthday, and I want to give you a gift: my best tips on speaking effectively.

Tip 1: There's no such thing as having no fear when speaking

Around 75% of people fear public speaking. I'm no different. Even now, I want to run away before most speeches. But I've learned to work with my nerves by:

Acknowledging the sensations (racing heart, sweaty palms) at body level
Reframe the thoughts ("This audience wants me to succeed") at mind level
Breathe (box breathing: 4 in, 4 hold, 4 out, 4 hold) at breath level

Acknowledge and Accept: Notice what's happening in your body - racing heart, butterflies, sweaty palms. Don't fight these sensations. Just acknowledge them.

Reframe your thoughts: I ask myself: "Am I focusing on my performance instead of the value I'm bringing? Why am I seeing this supportive audience as a threat?" Once I reason with my brain, I shift to: "I'm excited for this opportunity to serve this wonderful audience."

Breathe: Deep breathing signals safety to your brain. I use box breathing (4 in, 4 hold, 4 out, 4 hold) everywhere - waiting backstage, walking to the podium, even mid-speech.

Know your content thoroughly: When you're deeply familiar with your material, you have one less stress trigger to manage.

Tip 2: Content is king, and stories are the crown jewels

There's no doubt that content and expertise is key to a powerful speech/presentation. But how the content is shared matters.

Stories are easier to remember than data, both for the speaker and for the audience. Delivery becomes much easier when woven with stories.

Different storytelling strategies affect how the brain stores experiences as memories. Research shows that when people recalled stories with emotional and interpretive details, their hippocampi activated along with brain networks that process self-related information and emotions.

Think about it: Which would you remember better?

"Our company increased revenue by 23% last quarter."

"A few months back Sarah from sales approached me, "Remember that prospect who ghosted us twice and said we were too expensive?" I did. We'd written them off. But Sarah spent three months learning their business inside-out, rebuilt the proposal from scratch, and walked in focused on solving their one critical problem. They signed for $850K and that alone led to 23% growth last quarter !"

Take your audience on a journey rather than presenting them with a list of facts. Your data still matters, but wrap it in narrative. Make them FEEL something.

Tip 3: Clarity of message is everything

Remember that professor I mentioned at the beginning? His challenge was 'curse of knowledge' leading to lack of clarity for the audience. In the first five minutes of any presentation, your audience should know exactly where you're going.

Here's the framework that works:

One key message. Three supporting points.

That's it. That's the structure. Your key message is the one thing you want your audience to remember when they walk out of the room. Everything else - every story, every data point, every slide - should support that central message.

Why three points? Because three is memorable. The human brain loves patterns of three. It's enough to feel substantial but not so many that people lose track.

Before you start creating any presentation, ask yourself:

What is the ONE thing I want my audience to remember?
What are the THREE most important points that support this message?
What stories or examples bring these points to life?

If you can't answer these questions clearly, your audience won't be able to either. Last but not the least, practice with intention. Record yourself. Watch it back (yes, even though it's uncomfortable). Get feedback from people you trust.

Importantly, find opportunities to speak and put yourself out there. The more you do it, the better you get at it. There's no shortcut.

The best speakers aren't people who have no fear. They're people who have learned to channel that energy into powerful, clear, story-driven communication.

As I celebrate my birthday tomorrow, my gift to you is this: Your voice matters. Your message matters. And with the right tools and enough practice, you can learn to share both with confidence and impact.

What's one tip you would use right away?

With warmth and encouragement, Lakshmi

Dr. Lakshmi Ramachandran is a PhD scientist turned executive communication strategist who helps senior leaders in pharma, biotech, and STEM transform their expertise into influence. As creator of the P.O.W.E.R methodology, she works with executives who have brilliant ideas but struggle to communicate them clearly to drive business impact.

Want more insights on turning your expertise into executive influence? Follow Lakshmi Ramachandran, PhD, PCC and subscribe to P.O.W.E.R UP for practical strategies that help senior leaders communicate with clarity and drive results.