Managers across all industries, according to consultant Deirdre Borden, spend about 75 percent of their time in verbal interaction. Those daily interactions include one-on-one dialogue, telephone conversations, video teleconferencing, presentations to small groups and— with increasing frequency– public speaking to larger audiences.

While an important fraction of a manager's work ends up in writing— notably the most important projects and ideas— much of the preparation for the decisions involved takes place orally. Managers transfer and acquire most of the information they need to do their jobs by speaking to one another. Most will tell you, in fact, that they don't leave a briefing to a group of colleagues to go back to their office to work. Those briefings, talks and presentations are their work.

So, let's understand why managers speak. Often, you don't have a choice. As a manager, you'll occasionally find yourself preparing to speak on a topic you'd rather not discuss with a particular audience. Addressing the corporate executive committee on the subject of a quarterly budget shortfall is no one's idea of a good time, but you do it because it's part of your management responsibility. You give many presentations because you are told to, or because you must. Giving a talk in these situations isn't easy, but you certainly shouldn't be afraid to do so.

Many speaking opportunities, however, are voluntary in nature. Sometimes you give the talk because you choose to do so. You drop in on a group of employees to share the good news that the company has just landed a big contract they had worked hard to secure. You could have shared that information in an e-mail message or a memo, but you'd rather see their faces, hear them cheer and watch “high fives” around the room.

On another occasion, you may explain to your daughter's elementary school class what you do for a living. (Come to think of it, that might be tougher than the employee meeting). You might also accept the 7 invitation of a local Kiwanis club to speak at their weekly luncheon. Each speaking opportunity you accept and each speech you give will increase your self-assurance and reinforce competence, confidence and ability to speak well in public.