How does a good speaker do it?
People often ask me who the best speakers are and why when they hear that I ran a national professional speakers bureau for 13 years. Here are some things that a very successful speaker, who is often a well-paid speaker, has in common.
"Tell them what you're going to say, say it, and then tell them what you said."
- They get there early to check out the sound system and talk to people in the audience during the time set aside for networking.
- They talk about something that people need to hear. And the way they talk and move shows that they are passionate and real.
- In the first few minutes, they hook their audience with an interesting story, a funny event, a shocking statement, or a poem. They know how to connect what they say at the beginning to what comes later.
- They don't worry. They don't just tell the audience what they want to hear, but also what they need to hear. In other words, what they say might make you think. They give people new things to think about.
- They never talk about more than three or four things in a speech. They don't feel like they have to tell everyone what they know. No one can remember everything. For each main point, they tell a story to explain it. A good story makes you feel something and shows you something. Then, the people in the audience are just one step away from telling their own story.
- They make good eye contact and make each person feel like they are being paid attention to. This makes them seem more sincere and really there for the people listening to them.
- Before they end, they review and restate the main points they made. They end with a story that makes you feel good and a call to action. They tell the people listening that they need to do something in the next few days or weeks.
- They don't talk for too long. They know how much time they have and don't spend more than that.
- They practise their speech a few times, but it doesn't sound like a script. They NEVER give a speech word for word.
