It is no secret that powerful public speaking skills further your career and can take you far in life. But the big question is how do you develop these skills enough to improve your value by 50 percent, as US billionaire investor Warren Buffett has said.

Let me introduce you to my battle-tested framework which gives you the tools you need to become a master of public speaking. I have coached teams and executives following this method, with good results.

This framework looks at public speaking from three angles. Number one, the content of your message. Number two, your delivery. And number three, the different formats of speaking engagements.

Let’s take them apart starting with content.

I always like to say that content is the nuts and bolts of communication. If you aspire to be a great speaker, you have to deliver great content. Therefore, your first train of thought has to be given to the audience and how your content can deliver value. Unfortunately, in the professional world, as well as in politics, you often find speakers that only focus on their messages rather than the audience.

Your second thought should be on how to structure your content. Structure is what is often lacking in a speech, which makes it difficult for the audience to digest your content. A simple structure — such as opening, body, conclusion — can make your content so much more effective and engaging.

After the first two steps, it’s time to edit and refine your work, to make your message as outstanding as possible. This is where techniques such as storytelling, analogies, repetitive sentences and other rhetorical devices can add a wow factor to your message.

Once you have created compelling content, it’s a good time to look at visual aids such as slide decks, videos and images that add clarity and excitement to your presentation.

After putting together a piece that you are proud of, it’s time to look at your delivery. The reality is that many professionals have never been trained to deliver a speech, even though being in front of an audience is not an easy task for everyone.

Nevertheless, you can develop a confident and authentic delivery.

First of all, you need to be aware of what I call your communication superpowers — every person has a unique set of skills and experience that you should use in your speech. This might be a challenging undertaking, but great things happen when you step out of your comfort zone.

Once you have developed an authentic public speaking personality, it’s time to further enhance your delivery by showing your passion for the subject, mastering voice modulation and developing a confident body language. Don’t forget public speaking is an amplified conversation and a good conversation requires a strong connection with your audience.

After mastering the two main parts of the framework — content and delivery — the missing piece is to study the finer details of each presentation. This is about understanding the complexities of speaking on a stage to a large audience. It’s about how to hold a microphone, how to prepare visuals for the big screen, how to speak to the camera and connect with a virtual audience in the hybrid format that is common in a post-COVID-19 world.

Public speaking comes in many varieties from speeches to panel discussions, from team briefings to client pitches, from workshops to celebrations and many other occasions. Studying the format of your speaking engagement sets you up for success.

Learning how to become a great public speaker is an incredible adventure. As your knowledge and skills grow you will be able to tell why other speakers are good, and why others fall down. These insights will help you grow as a communicator.

It goes without saying that the mastery of a skill needs time to practice, which often discourages people to become the speaker they could be.

However, no matter how much time, effort and money you need to invest — becoming a skilled speaker is a life-changing experience. Each engagement you take on will allow you the chance to showcase your business, inspire others, and most of all, show the world who you really are.

• Flo Akinbiyi is a presenter, public speaker and communications coach.