Your Favorite Speaker

There are some people we would drive hours to hear. Every word greets our ears like music. Every thought is like honey to our hungry hearts.

They talk about topics you want to hear The title alone may be enough to draw you in and want to attend. But whatever the subject is, you want to hear about it. You know it will change your life in some way. You know that you will be different, better, because of it.

Their voices draw you in No, you don’t have to have a perfect speaking voice, but there are certain voices that draw us. Maybe it’s the caring tone, or the depth, or the confidence. Whatever it is, these people lack annoying vocal qualities that can be turn-offs and they have developed strong, clear, lively speaking voices.

Your personalities may be similar A person that we like to hear often resembles our personal style. If we are humorous then we like to hear someone funny over someone dry. If we are more serious and reflective we like to listen to people with those same qualities. Now, while you can’t be all things to all people, you can develop an ability to pay attention to your audience and connect with them on common points. Watch what they respond to and give them more when you see that they seem to enjoy some aspect of your manner—humor, empathy, excitement. Remembering that you’re talking to people and checking in with them often can give great energy to your presentations

Their points are relevant to your life We want “walk-away” value. In other words we want to be able to exit the building with some knowledge or idea that can be useful to our lives right now. We want to be able to apply it on the spot. We want to see measurable differences when we apply the principles they discussed.

A speaker that can address our problems and present a solution captivates us. Everyone seems to be looking for the “secret” that will propel his or her life into bliss. The speaker that provides relevant points (secrets) will always bring in a crowd.

Their stories make you smile, or cry, or experience some other emotional response Advertisers have taught for years that people “Buy on emotion, and justify with facts.” In a presentation, the points are the facts and the illustrations are the emotion. The illustrations, stories, can bring home a point more powerfully than a list of true, yet sterile, facts.

A speaker who tells a great story not only keeps the attention of the crowd, but also connects with them. We believe and trust information that touches both our minds and our hearts more than that which only touches our minds.

Head stuff can seem cold, somewhat antiseptic. Someone who pours his or her message into our hearts causes us to learn and act.

They use props and other visual aids A prop is anything that that can be used to illustrate a point in order to help the audience retain the message. Anything can be used: overheads, media forms, objects. The best communicators know how to use visual aids to add value and never to distract from the purpose.

They make you feel like you are the only one in the audience Usually this is a combination of two things: eye contact and relevance.

Regarding eye contact, you cannot, of course, look at one person throughout the presentation, but you can connect through your eyes. When other people can see our eyes, we create a bond of likeability and trust.

As for relevance, when someone speaks about a subject that we are personally dealing with we feel that the speaker knows us. Somehow they were able to peer into our lives, witness our problems, and offer a solution.

They are real Bill Hybels, pastor of Willow Creek Community Church, says, “People do not expect you to be perfect. They do expect you to be authentic.”

Authenticity and genuineness are like magnets, while a person we perceive as phony repels us. Why? Because most people peg speakers as ego-bound. When a presenter who is humble and real steps forward, the contrast appeals to us.

They speak in conversational tones With all crowds, but especially when you are teaching a younger group it is a must to talk to them. A conversational speaker attracts us much more than a formal, more detached, one.

Have you ever enjoyed talking with someone one-on-one only to find that this person’s voice and behavior changed completely when he stepped up to the platform to speak? You want your speech from the podium to be just as real and confident as your speech from the next chair.

They talk to you, rather than down to you I readily admit that I am not a genius, but that doesn’t mean I want someone to make me feel inadequate or foolish. The best speakers compliment their audiences by talking on an educated level without using jargon or other terms that leave people feeling out of the loop.