Basic public speaking effectiveness is centered in five areas: volume, fluency, vocal variety, clarity, and physical image. Tending these five essential aspects of public speaking is necessary because how you speak is directly connected to your credibility and believability. To live into your power as a woman in ministry necessitates that you are fully aware of the dimensions of public speaking and what a difference each makes for your effectiveness as a public figure.

Karoline M. Lewis (Ph.D. Emory University), holds the Alvin N. Rogness Chair of Homiletics at Luther Seminary in St. Paul, MN. She is a regularly featured presenter and preacher at the Festival of Homiletics and a frequent contributor for numerous Christian journals and online resources, including the popular website WorkingPreacher.org where she also co-hosts the site’s weekly podcast, Sermon Brainwave, and authors the site’s weekly column, Dear Working Preacher. She lives in St. Paul, Minnesota. This article is excerpted from her book, She: Five Keys to Unlock the Power of Women in Ministry, and is used with permission from Abingdon Press.