The Amazing Authorities Podcast

Episode: Mastering Leadership Communication: Michael Delisser’s Guide to Emotional Intelligence and Presentation Confidence
Host: Mitch Carson
Guest: Michael Delisser
Date: December 9, 2025

Episode Overview

In this episode, host Mitch Carson sits down with leadership communication expert, author, and consultant Michael Delisser. Their conversation dives deep into the often-overlooked interpersonal skills that are essential to executive success. Drawing from personal stories, hands-on coaching experience, and the insights from his book Leadership Accelerators, Michael explains why self-awareness, emotional intelligence, and adaptable communication habits are critical for leaders at every level—especially in today's AI-augmented world. He shares actionable strategies for overcoming presentation anxiety, developing strong leadership rituals, and fostering enduring relationships at work and at home.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Early Lessons: Learning from His Father’s Executive Coaching

• Background: As a teen, Michael observed his father coaching Fortune 100 executives who'd been fired—almost always for communication mistakes, not technical incompetence.
  • Quote:
    "I was just shocked that senior executives could struggle with some of the basic fundamentals of interpersonal communication or presenting."
    — Michael Delisser [02:10]
• Core Lesson: Many leaders are promoted for technical results but fail for lack of communication skills. The higher up you go, the more vital communication becomes.

2. Common Pitfalls: Why Executives Fail

• Main Traits Leading to Failure:
  • Overemphasis on results/task focus at the expense of people skills.
  • Overemphasis on relationships at the expense of achieving results.
  • Lack of self-awareness about how actions and communication are perceived.
  • Quote:
    "People that bring either that task focus or this structure focus to a leadership role, they don’t necessarily lead with people skills, and because of that…the higher they get, the more trouble they get."
    — Michael Delisser [04:20]
• Key Takeaway: Balance and self-awareness are essential to avoid common leadership traps.

3. The Power of Self-Awareness

• Coaching Insights:
  • Video recording is used to highlight and correct communication habits (e.g., fillers, interrupting). Realization leads to motivation to change.
  • Quote:
    "If you want to see great progress in your development as a leader, you have to start with increasing your self-awareness…"
    — Michael Delisser [06:07]
• Practical Approach: Record yourself presenting or in conversation; specific feedback is more impactful than abstract advice.

4. Overcoming Presentation Anxiety

• Client Story:
  Michael helped a leader paralyzed by presenting to executives to reframe his mindset, resulting in significant improvement.
  • Quote:
    "When you change the conversation in your head, it changes your body's reaction…" — Michael Delisser [08:30]
• Tactics for Managing Nerves:
  • Identify and replace limiting beliefs.
  • Develop personal pre-presentation rituals (music, visualization, breathing, etc.).
  • Affirmations and power stances help many presenters.

Notable Dialogue

• Mitch: Shares his own ritual (visualizing relaxing in his pool with his dog) and how this “home spot” became his go-to confidence anchor. [10:49–12:25]
• Michael: Emphasizes “one size does not fit all”—personalize your ritual and use it consistently. [12:04]

5. Leadership Accelerators: Michael’s Book & The Three Core Competencies

• Three Critical Categories for Leadership Breakthrough:
  1. Navigating Different Personalities
  2. Emotional Intelligence
  3. Communication Habits
• Why Now Matters More Than Ever:
  "With AI and technical advances…it’s actually skewing the importance of communication skills to be even higher now."
  — Michael Delisser [15:09]
• Self-Assessment: Michael advocates rigorous self-review to identify strengths, blind spots, and areas for growth.

6. The “Leadership Core Four” (from Michael’s Upcoming Book)

• Four Zones Where Leaders Succeed or Fail:
  1. Presentation Skills and Persuasion
  2. One-on-One Coaching
  3. Meeting Management
  4. Business Writing
• Real-world leadership hinges on these day-to-day communication competencies, not just theory.

Teaching Experience

• In Michael’s MBA teaching, students were recorded for presentations and coaching—providing more direct, actionable feedback than reading theory alone. [22:20]
  • Quote:
    "There’s a light that goes on that…it’s just more effective than just hearing it from me."
    — Michael Delisser [22:38]

7. Filler Words & Imperfection in Communication

• Personal Anecdotes:
  Both Michael and Mitch recollect humbling moments where they realized how distracting their own filler words (“um,” “you know”) were.
  • Michael:
    "Professor interrupts me…‘I'm going to raise my hand every single time you say, or, ah, just to raise your awareness.’ … I'm just dying up there…" [24:08–24:46]
  • Key Advice:
    You’ll never hit zero filler words. Strive for authenticity, not perfection. Practice handling mistakes during rehearsal, not just aiming for a “perfect” delivery. [27:01]
  • Quote:
    "Your goal is never to create the perfect presentation. Your goal is to create the authentic presentation that achieves the goal you're trying to achieve with it."
    — Michael Delisser [27:01]

8. On Toastmasters & Group Practice

• Michael’s View:
  Toastmasters can be useful for practice and feedback but may not address deeper confidence or leadership skill gaps without individual coaching. [28:26]
  • Quote:
    "Getting in front of people and getting feedback is a good thing as long as you create an environment that's building your confidence."
    — Michael Delisser [28:40]

9. Application Beyond the Office

• Crossover to Personal Life:
  The principles of emotional intelligence, communication habits, and understanding personalities apply at home just as much as at work. [31:58]

10. Final Thought: Acceptance & Relationships

• Parting Wisdom:
  "If you want to improve your relationship with anybody just let go of wishing they were different from who they are."
  — Michael Delisser [32:33]

Notable Quotes & Moments with Timestamps

• “It’s very easy for executives to be promoted beyond their skill level at communicating. And the higher you go… the more critical communication is to your success.”
  — Michael Delisser [02:30]

• “Once people see what they’re doing, they’re more inclined to do something about it.”
  — Michael Delisser [05:52]

• “The key is experimenting, learning what works. But once you find something, making it your ritual… It puts you in the mindset to be successful.”
  — Michael Delisser [10:46]

• "Emotional intelligence... the higher you go, it becomes twice as important as your cognitive ability or your IQ."
  — Michael Delisser [16:43]

• "You’ll never get to zero filler speech. And that’s okay because it’s authentic to just be you."
  — Michael Delisser [27:01]

• “If you want to improve your relationship with anybody just let go of wishing they were different from who they are.”
  — Michael Delisser [32:33]

Key Timestamps for Important Segments

• [01:12] – Michael’s formative experience watching his father coach executives
• [03:36] – The personality traits and habits most likely to derail leaders
• [05:48] – The critical role of self-awareness and the techniques he uses to build it
• [08:47] – Transformative client story: Overcoming fear of presenting to executives
• [09:36] – Individualized rituals for overcoming presentation anxiety
• [14:48] – Breakdown of Leadership Accelerators and its three key categories
• [19:30] – Tease & structure of Michael’s upcoming book on leadership communication
• [22:20] – How Michael uses video feedback for maximum coaching impact
• [24:08] – Michael’s traumatic undergraduate public speaking experience and enduring lessons
• [27:01] – The case for authenticity over perfection in presentations
• [28:26] – Michael’s nuanced take on Toastmasters for skill building
• [31:58] – The broader impact of leadership skills on personal relationships
• [32:33] – Michael’s closing wisdom on acceptance in relationships

Resources & Where to Find Michael Delisser

• Book: Leadership Accelerators — Available on Amazon and Michael’s website (delisser.com)
• Website: delisserconsulting.com | delisser.com

Tone & Language

The conversation is candid, expert, practical, and refreshingly personal—with both Mitch and Michael sharing stories of struggle and growth. Listeners are encouraged to embrace imperfection, cultivate self-awareness, and tailor leadership strategies to their unique personalities.

Next Steps:
Michael Delisser will return to discuss his forthcoming book on leadership communication and the practical tools leaders can use to excel in high-stakes presentations, coaching conversations, and beyond.

Takeaway:
Leadership isn’t just about what you know—it’s about how you connect, reflect, and communicate. Self-awareness is the first step. Authenticity is the superpower.