Have you ever come across a speaker who moved you? Inspired you, challenged you and made you feel seen. Gave you a new perspective and made you feel like anything is possible?

What did they have that made them such a great speaker?  How did they do it?

Well in this post, I’m going to share the secrets to their speaking success and encourage you to start approaching your speeches and presentations to how it transforms you and touches your audience.

1.They care about people

Great speakers truly care about who they’re talking to and helping them become successful.  They desire to help solve their problems, help them feel understood, encourage them and make their lives better through their message. 

Their goal is not impressing people.  Their goal is connecting with them.

In tandem with how invested they are their listeners, they never stop learning.  They read a lot because they enjoy equipping themselves with different ideas, cultures and stories. 

Great speakers use their learning to fulfill their curiosity but also to enhance their talks with the different facts, figures and stories, they’ve come across with people they’re talking to. 

So all of that information is also a way  to connect deeply with the people they might come across on stage or in person.  Their ability to be so well versed in many different things, means they have many points of connection with a wide range of people. 

They like people and it shows. People are drawn to them and want to listen to them. 

So when they part with them, those people remember how they FELT as they listened to that great speaker, who guided them through an enjoyable speech.

You can do the same by always being curious about things, people and what matters to them. 

As a side note: If you’re introvert, you have an advantage here because of your ability to observe, intuit and connect with people one-on-one. 

So when you get on stage, you’ll likely have the natural skill to make people feel like they’re the only person in the room, as you speak to them intentionally.

With that in mind, the first thing I coach my clients to do after they’re invited to speak at an event, is “Who is your audience?”. 

We do deep research on their age, gender, work, family status, emotional & mental state and what their fears and desires are. 

But we don’t stop there, we interview anyone who might have first hand knowledge of that same field. 

Then, we make sure that the talk my client will give meets their needs in very tangible & relevant ways. 

For example: 

One of my clients worked in the therapy department of a large hospital.  The new medical doctors kept calling for therapy for patients for whom, in many instances, it was not required. 

So she was called upon, by her boss, to give a presentation to all the new doctors and share an accurate run down of when to order therapy. 

We did as much research on new doctors as we could, including reading articles of what life is like for them in their first year.  We learned that they were extremely stressed, overworked, confused & sleep deprived, to the point that some committed suicide.  Who knew?! 

That meant that we needed to be mindful to not talk down to them, overload them with dry information and focus on making this talk as lively as possible.  Especially since my client was going to be giving this talk during their valued lunch break!

We made sure that my client spoke with a bright and lively voice. Outlined all the information in a clear and digestible way. Finally, we made the talk interactive with role play, to keep them awake and engaged. 

At the end of the talk, she had the excited doctors coming up to her to thank her for how helpful her talk had been.

I hope this encourages you to truly be interested in your audience and crafting your talk around them, in order to empower them. 

It works and it really can make you a great speaker.

2. They have a clear point of view 

People who are great speakers tend to know themselves well and have clear opinions about things in their field and beyond. 

They have learned to validate their own thoughts while speaking.  So they have a natural look and feel of confidence before others. 

If you want to be that self-assured and charismatic speaker, it is important that you know yourself, what you believe and why you believe it. 

Sometimes when we feel exposed, judged or naked before others, it’s because we haven’t quite given ourselves the chance to figure ourselves & our thoughts out.

One exercise that you could use to establish your confident point of view is this:

Ask yourself:  How do I feel about this ‘subject’?  I know this might sound silly but start with something as small as why do I like the color blue? 

List all the different reasons that come to mind.  Articulate them to yourself. 

Literally say to yourself, “I like the color blue because it makes me happy.  It makes me happy because it reminds me of sunny summer days.  It’s a refreshing color and it’s universally liked”

Do the same thing with other things small things.  Then start practicing using broader subjects like

“I think our department should use this particular software” and list the reasons why.  Again, it is so important that you actually practice saying out loud why you have that opinion. 

When you practice this way, you’ll find yourself prepared, with the right tone of voice, to speak up and when the opportunity arises, to boldly express your opinion.

Making you a speaker who speaks the confidence and conviction before her bosses & colleagues.

3. They make you feel

Great speakers have this ability to not only share their ideas but to make you feel them. 

How do they do that?

Firstly, they make sure that they believe in what they’re saying.  They are passionate about it! 

My first suggestion would be to believe in what you’re saying because it shows. 

Not only does being passionate inspire your listeners, it wipes out any nervousness you might have while speaking.

Always tell yourself “I’m excited” just before speaking. 

Be excited about sharing your thoughts in your area of expertise.  Be excited how this information will transform your listeners’ lives positively.  Your fear will disappear and your confidence rise.

Another side note for speakers who are introverts:  If you’re an introvert and think you have to become larger than life in order to make people feel, check out this talk by Seth Godin on Youtube. 

I’m not sure if he is an introvert but he speaks in a calm and composed manner. Yet his words carry so much weight and conviction that you’re riveted. 

Obviously it’s important that your thoughts and ideas carry validity, but the way to bring them to life is through you showing how you feel about your ideas. 

This is where your tone of voice becomes so crucial. 

Speak with a voice filled with conviction & certainty about what you’re saying. 

If you’re excited about what you’re sharing, make your voice sound excited.  If you’re sad about the outcome of something, sensitively use a voice that is sad and composed, as you talk. 

When you speak this way, your audience feels it and now your message touches not only their minds, but their hearts as well. 

This is really powerful in making your talk stick in their memories forever.

Along with strategically using your voice tone, do the same thing with your body language and gestures. 

If you’re speaking at rally where you’re galvanizing people, you’d probably use fists up in the air to emotionally charge people. 

If you were talking at a school board where concerned parents want transparency about certain policies, you would speak with a calm and reassuring voice.  Then you’d use your open palms to communicate honesty and sincerity while you were talking.

So, to summarize, genuinely caring about your audience & their needs, carrying a clear point of view and moving your listeners, will make you an outstanding speaker. 

And if you use these 3 key elements of great speaking, you will find your next presentation to be much more dynamic, captivating & effective.

You’re going to find people responding to your talks enthusiastically from now on.

The best part is approaching being a great speaker this way is a win/win for both you & them. 

That’s how public speaking should be.  An enjoyable experience for you and an enjoyable experience for them!