An important element in a senior executive's armoury is the ability to communicate, particularly to groups of people. But while Ireland has a tradition of producing great writers, we have lacked somewhat when it came to orators . . . and this applies to businesspeople as much as it does to the general population.

"Delivery is hugely important, " said public speaking consultant Sandra Sheerin, director of Public Speaking Ireland. "You can have something written, you can have PowerPoint presentations, but the actual person and how they convey the message is the vehicle between the information and how the audience understands the information. Appearing confident and competent can make a huge difference; the Journal of Counselling Psychology has suggested that visual elements (non-verbal communications) make up 55% of the impact, vocal performance makes up 38%, while the language itself makes up only 7% of the message."

But public speaking, even to a small group, can be taught . . .despite the fact that 41% of Americans said that speaking in front of a group was their worst fear (only 19% feared death the most).

But according to Sheerin, it is through practice that people, even executives, can find their own style of comfortable delivery, and can find the confidence to speak effectively in front of groups.

"I do both one-to-one and group sessions, " she said. "I find that executives are willing to learn, and, in many cases, it is just a matter of giving them con"dence."