Before the Applause:
During my 20-year leadership career, I’ve spoken countless times. I’ve stood in meeting rooms, in front of boards, and on big stages. You might think that each new presentation is just another challenge, but my recent experience at the Äripäev Leadership Conference “Coaching 2025 – Freedom” was something completely different.
This time I wasn’t asked to talk about market share or strategy. My task was to share a very personal story – my journey as a leader, along with its lessons and painful realizations. All of this in just 10 minutes, in front of more than 500 top professionals. The pressure was different. How do you bring your story to life so that it resonates, inspires, and creates real value for the audience?
I quickly realized my old habits wouldn’t be enough. To prepare, I took Mart Koldits’ online course on public speaking. It was a conscious step to refresh my toolkit and approach the challenge from a new angle. And it changed a lot.
Two Key Realizations That Changed the Game
The course gave me many practical techniques, but two stood out the most:
1. How to fit a journey into 10 minutes? Structure is everything.
The biggest challenge was making my story flow logically and engagingly in such a short time. Using techniques from the course, I built my talk with a clear formula that anyone can apply:
- Start with one central message. Before writing the first line, decide what single idea you want your audience to take away. For me, it was the notion that values can be both a bridge and a weapon.
- Don’t talk theory – tell stories with turning points. A good speech is a journey through key moments. Instead of abstract leadership talk, I shared concrete experiences from my career – taking responsibility at EMT and a powerful lesson at Eesti Energia. The formula is simple: concrete story → general lesson → clear message.
- Create a complete frame. A speech should begin with a problem and end with a solution. Mine opened with the question (how can values become a weapon) and ended with a practical tool (the 3-ball scale). The ending tied back to the beginning, creating a memorable frame.
This structure gave me confidence that my talk wasn’t just a scattered story, but a journey with a clear message.
2. Shifting focus outward – the shared foundation of great presentations and great strategy.
The bigger transformation happened in my mindset. Before stepping on stage, I decided not to focus on how I appeared as a speaker, but on the value I was creating for the audience. This simple shift reduced anxiety and allowed me to be truly present.
It’s the same principle I’ve seen in my consulting work: the best strategies don’t come from the consultant’s brilliance, but from deeply focusing on the client’s business, their real challenges, and goals. The focus on creating value for the audience or the client is what always ensures the most powerful outcomes.
From Theory to Practice – and Results
Thanks to these tools and many others, I felt more confident on stage than ever before. I didn’t just deliver text – I shared a story built with both logic and emotion. The feedback from the audience was excellent, and most importantly – I felt my message truly landed.
This experience reinforced my deep belief that good communication is the foundation of every successful leader. Whether it’s speaking on stage, engaging your team, or delivering tough feedback – a structured and empathetic message builds bridges and drives results.
Ready to take your communication skills to the next level?
I’m happy to share the tools that helped me. I’ve prepared a detailed case study of my journey and experience.
Read the full case study, created in collaboration with the trainers from Anonymous Presenter.
Link: Case Study: Stage Experience – Speaking in Front of 500 People
If you’d like to explore these topics more personally or in your team’s context, let’s connect. Together, we’ll see how your messages can resonate even more powerfully.