How to be a Better Public Speaker and Speak with Passion
This is an incredible topic and a topic that is very close to my heart. Billy Graham said, “God gave us two ears and one mouth so we should listen twice as much as we talk.” To be an effective communicator, there is no better way to propel yourself into excellence than to master the art of listening.
However, when it does come time to speak, particularly to a group or large audience, always remember to speak about something that you have earned the right to talk about. This means that when you have a great deal of knowledge on a specific subject, it will carry over during your speech.
When you believe in something, you study it fiercely, you immerse yourself in it, and if anyone disputes you, you will have the capability to back up your beliefs. The best book that I have discovered on the topic of speaking is called “The Quick and Easy Way to Effective Speaking.” by Dale Carnegie. I highly recommend this book. It is an easy read and is loaded with great information on how to be an effective speaker. Below I will list some things that have helped me in this area a lot.
Leap and the net will appear
Every time there is an opportunity to speak, take it. Speaking is one of those things that gets easier the more that you do it. Of course, you will also get better with repetition, so take advantage of speaking opportunities when you can. If you evaluate yourself and apply what you have learned, you will get better every time that you give a speech and feel better that you stepped up to the plate.
Join Toastmasters
One day my sister contacted me and told me that she found a speaking club in Arizona for my brother-in-law and that she thinks I would enjoy it. This prompted me to do some research. I was living in Colorado at the time and discovered Toastmasters International. I found there were multiple clubs in my area and I decided to visit club “555” (Triple Nickle).
I think out of everything that I have ever experienced in regards to speaking, Toastmasters has been the most valuable. After visiting the club a couple of times, I applied for membership. I think a 6-month membership was 50 bucks and 20 bucks for a one-time processing fee that covers me indefinitely. I gave the treasurer $100 and told him I would like to donate it all to the club.
My club was incredible. They welcomed me with open arms; I was surrounded by incredible speakers, top-level performers, and I made some great friends. I learned so much during my time with that club and they gave me a lot of great feedback.
Before I left, they wanted to vote me in as the Club President and also compete, but I received orders to change my duty station that forced me to decline the role. I recommend Toastmasters to anyone who wants to improve their speaking. You will have a chance to speak pretty much every time you attend a meeting. There are people that are assigned to evaluate you so that you receive really good feedback and praise, or at the very least, constructive criticism.
Click here to check out a Toastmasters near you.
Rehearse Your Speech
If you want to deliver a good speech, the key is to practice. You should practice in a variety of ways. Practice as close to the real event as possible. Wear the same clothes that you would wear at the event if you can. You should also rehearse on the actual stage if at all possible. Use the same mic and speak off the same notes if you have them. Try and practice the exact way as when you go live. Also during your practice, try to speak in front of people who care about you enough to tell you the truth and who will tell you if you are boring or don’t speak well. The more candid feedback you can acquire, the better.
Be your own critic
Practice your speech and film yourself. Review the recordings with just audio. Next, review the video but keep it on mute, then watch it with the audio on. This will give you a perspective on how you sound, how you look, and then how you sound and look together. This will help you make adjustments to your speech and master the art of delivery.
Care about your audience
Words are very powerful. Something that you say can impact a person’s life forever. When you speak, do it out of love for your audience and they will pick up on it very fast. They will feel your passion and be more prone to listen to you. Talk with your audience and not at them. When you include your audience in your speech, it adds a specialness to it. There are some really good examples of this in Dale Carnegie’s book that I mentioned above.
Tell Stories
People always remember stories better than information. If you can incorporate personal stories in your speech, you will have a strong ability to capture the attention of your audience. This is one of the main reasons why fictional books sell so much better than dry material text books. People love a good story in a speech. The same goes with humor, people love to laugh.
Defeat Nervousness
At my Toastmasters Club, every time I went up to speak, I could feel my heart beating faster and a sense of fear came over me. It sometimes would get so bad that it would be noticeable during my speech. That all changed when I spoke to the club president Richard Law. I told him my dilemma and he simply said, “Breathe, when you feel that nervous feeling just breathe.” That led me to create my “5 Second Technique.” Breathe in for 5 seconds, hold your breath for 5 seconds, exhale for 5 seconds, and hold for 5 seconds. I started doing that every time I would feel that nervous feeling and it calmed me down very fast. Doing one or two rounds of the 5-second technique prior to going up on stage was a game-changer for me.
Use The Pause
This might be the most powerful speaking technique in the book, “The One Second Pause.” When you use this a few times in your speech it can have an extraordinary impact. Example:
“And the most important part of leadership ladies and gentleman……..pause and look around the room……. is to set a good example.”
Modify Vocal Inflection
In my own words, inflection is the elevation and de-elevation of your vocal tones and pitch. Changing your inflection when you speak is a great way to deliver your message. This makes you more captivating and it really helps keep the attention of your audience.Example:
“YOU! YOU, LEADERS SITTING HERE BEFORE ME ARE THE BEST THAT I HAVE EVER SEEN!!! And I personally would like to thank you for all that you do….pause….and the effort that you put out.”
It’s very effective to go high and strong and then low and soft or vice versa.
Body Language
Scan the room, calmly walk left, then center, then right and pause at each direction. Use hand gestures at times and also keep your hands and arms down naturally at your sides. Simple things like that go a long way. During your review of your recordings, you can observe what looks best and what needs adjusting. The strongest form of body language is to stand with your shoulders back, chest out, and your head held high. This posture will not only empower you on the inside but it will make you look like a confident speaker to those watching you.
Visual aids
Some people are receptive to hands-on, reading, listening, or watching. Your speech should have a combination of all four so you can engage all different types of people. If you use a handout, don’t pass it out during your speech because it will create competition for the attention of your audience. Your audience will not know whether to look at the handout or listen to you speak. Always keep the two separate.
For example, give your speech and then give out your handout as you close, or tell them, “here is this handout, please take two minutes to read it” and then politely ask them to put it away. Once you do that, you then speak and have their full focus. The same goes with slides, slides create competition for you so it’s always best to keep the two separate when you are giving a speech.
When you use an on-stage visual aid, it can really add flavor to your speech and make things very exciting. People like fun and excitement. A magician can hold the attention of an entire audience and not even say a word. They rely solely on the visual aspect to attract their audience. Visual aids, when used correctly, are very effective. Asking for a volunteer is a great way to involve the audience as well. This will really engage the hands-on folks because they now become “part of.”
Model
It’s a good thing to observe and listen to other speakers and take the best from all of them and create your own blend. Below I have listed some speakers that I have personally adopted techniques from. Some of them have messages that I don’t agree with, but their delivery is phenomenal.
Billy Graham
Ronald Reagan
Adolf Hitler
Fidel Castro
Zig Ziglar
John Maxwell