
CPR: taking the stress out of practicing public speaking
Practicing a speech is intimidating. Not only do you have to know your stuff, but you also have to think about your structure, your gestures, and your audience. Here’s how to use...
by Michael D. Watkins Published February 28, 2025 in Brain Circuits • 4 min read
Paradoxically, leaders often talk too much not out of egocentricity, but out of insecurity. Other reasons include lack of self-awareness, fear of silence, desire to appear in control, and poor communication skills. Whatever the reason – and remembering there are no quick fixes – here are some techniques to correct the habit:
Set up a well-structured, 360-degree process to get anonymous input from people at all levels. This will give you candid feedback on your communication patterns.
Record a significant meeting (with permission), estimate the percentage of time you spent talking, then review the recording to see how much airtime you actually used up. This will show you not just your talk time, but also team members’ reactions, revealing patterns you were previously blind to.
Develop active listening techniques through role-playing exercises. For example, simulate a team meeting in which you can only ask questions and paraphrase what others are saying. The “WAIT” principle – asking yourself, “Why Am I Talking?” before continuing to speak – is especially effective.
Use AI meeting analytics tools to monitor speaking patterns. This will give you objective data on who is speaking and who is being interrupted. Remember: numbers don’t lie!
Leadership communication isn’t about holding the floor but creating an environment where every voice contributes to organizational success through better engagement and stronger collaboration.
Professor of Leadership and Organizational Change at IMD
Michael D Watkins is Professor of Leadership and Organizational Change at IMD, and author of The First 90 Days, Master Your Next Move, Predictable Surprises, and 12 other books on leadership and negotiation. His book, The Six Disciplines of Strategic Thinking, explores how executives can learn to think strategically and lead their organizations into the future. A Thinkers 50-ranked management influencer and recognized expert in his field, his work features in HBR Guides and HBR’s 10 Must Reads on leadership, teams, strategic initiatives, and new managers. Over the past 20 years, he has used his First 90 Days® methodology to help leaders make successful transitions, both in his teaching at IMD, INSEAD, and Harvard Business School, where he gained his PhD in decision sciences, as well as through his private consultancy practice Genesis Advisers. At IMD, he directs the First 90 Days open program for leaders taking on challenging new roles and co-directs the Transition to Business Leadership (TBL) executive program for future enterprise leaders, as well as the Program for Executive Development.
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