Before you got into leadership, did you expect you'd be doing so much speaking? It seems you're always talking--in faculty meetings and one-on-one evaluations; in PD sessions and department meetings; at parents' night and awards ceremonies; to colleagues, supervisors, and the school board; and in front of dozens or hundreds or just a webcam and a ring light. You need to move and motivate, inform and edify, and sometimes pitch policy directives you know will be unpopular. Spoken communication and effective messaging is a huge component of your leadership role, and yet "you were never trained for this part of the job!" Packed with practical and actionable advice, "Before You Say a Word" gives school and district leaders the essential oral communication training that graduate programs leave out. Author Erik Palmer, a speaking specialist and former teacher, stresses proper preparation and explains everything from the basics of audience analysis to how to rescue a terrible set of presentation slides. You'll learn how to plan for and deliver even complicated and sensitive messages to all kinds of audiences, in person and virtually, and in a way that is professional, clear, authentic, and never boring.