Becoming an effective public speaker is not an easy task to accomplish. Being an effective public speaker encompasses a lot more than people might assume. An effective speaker needs to be able to get his or her information across while also keeping the audience entertained and engaged. This is not as easy as it may sound! How can you get an audience interested in what you have to say and keep them interested? How can you connect to the audience in a way that allows them to relate to you and understand your story? In order to be an effective speaker, these are the five qualities that are a must.
Confidence. Confidence is huge when it comes to public speaking. Being confident in your delivery will allow you to be seen as an expert on your topic. Your audience will be more likely to trust you and therefore, trust the material that you are putting out there. Confidence makes you credible, knowledgeable, and believable. In order to truly show confidence, you have to be confident enough to be yourself during your presentation. If you can be yourself in front of an audience, they are going to be more likely to feel like they can relate to you. If you try to act differently than you usually do, you may come off as insincere, and the audience will be less likely to feel connected to you or your information.
Passion. Why would an audience want to hear about your story if you yourself don’t seem passionate about it? Let your audience know why you do what you do. Why do you love what you do and why do you want to share your message? If an audience can see and feel your passion, they will be more interested in hearing what you have to say.
Ability to be succinct. Even if you’re one of the most entertaining and engaging public speakers, it’s important to keep your presentation short and to the point. The attention span of your audience isn’t long. You have to get their attention fast and keep their attention by moving through your presentation smoothly and effectively. If your presentation is longer than twenty minutes, you may want to consider breaking the presentation into smaller segments. Each segment can be a little different or involve audience interaction so that you are keeping them on their feet.
Ability to tell a story. A presentation is more effective and engaging when it doesn’t feel like a presentation. Know how to tell your story to your audience. Give them the context for all of the information you are sharing. Rather than simply sharing facts and formal pieces of information, share your experiences and your stories that have lead you to where you are. If it isn’t your own story, share other stories or experiences from history or from people that you know. Stories help people retain more information because they are more engaged with your presentation.
Audience awareness. Make sure before going into your presentation that you know the audience that you’re presenting to. You should know who they are and what they do. By knowing this information, you’ll be better able to connect to them and present to them in a way that you feel they would respond to and learn from best.
Demonstrating these qualities as a public speaker can make or break a presentation. When planning a presentation, think about what you would respond to. Think about if you would be excited about and engaged with your presentation and the information you’re providing. In order to be an effective speaker, you have to be willing to step out of the box in order to connect, relate to, and engage with your audience. Make sure your story is one that your audience will want to hear and will remember long after the presentation is over.
See also: Overcoming Presentation Nerves
Speaking in public is no easy task, especially for those who aren’t familiar with the nuances of public speaking. Often, professionals must communicate with a broad audience, which requires an understanding of both the people listening and the topic in hand. Good speakers know that they need to speak in a way in which the audience can take in the words that they are saying, and which appeals to the crowd in more ways than one.
Good speakers, therefore, develop and possess certain qualities and personality traits that set them apart from mediocre speakers. What are these qualities? And, even if you’re not a speaker, why should you also develop them? How can these concepts help you to harness your potential and become more successful?
Here are some qualities of good speakers that can help anyone to better manage their resources and be more successful.
1. They Are Well-Prepared.
One of the most important qualities of a good speaker is the ability to be prepared. When conducting any kind of public speaking, you are generally given a topic to focus on. This may be for the purpose of sharing your ideas, elaborating on your company, or just to spread the word about a certain issue.
If you are speaking, whatever topic you have been asked to cover, it is important that you are well prepared and can captivate your audience. Start by creating an outline or draft of your topic. While rehearsing, try to vary your presentation in whatever way you can because a monotonous way of speaking might bore your audience.
How does being well-prepared relate to having a successful life though? They say that success is born when preparation meets opportunity. Successful people understand how important it is to prepare for great opportunities or events. While you may be able to just go with the flow, keep in mind that achievements do not happen by chance or by going with the flow. Opportunities are routinely disguised, and your success depends on how prepared you are to seize them.
One of the qualities of a good public speaker is the ability to deliver a unique message. Audiences don't want a repeat of something that they have heard before. They want to hear a fresh new perspective and want a new take on things. Giving them a fresh perspective and a unique message can make your entire talk seem more empowering and impactful.
One of the easiest ways to deliver a unique and powerful message while speaking in public is to just stay true to yourself and your beliefs. Everyone can offer a fresh new perspective on life and elaborating on that can help you develop a unique message.
However, this is easier said than done. While no one is born with the ability to always be unique, and no one can come up with innovative ideas all the time, some people are naturally more creative than others. For some, it’s going to be difficult to be the outstanding one among millions of others, so it’s important that you know that you may struggle at first. But also know that you can achieve your best thoughts and ideas through research and preparation.
3. They Provide Actionable Content.
A good public speaker doesn't always deliver a speech or talk just to pass the time. Their public speeches are generally designed to help the audience to improve on what they do or the way in which they think.
The best example of this is someone talking about their new start-up business. Imagine they have the opportunity to talk to a large audience about the new company and all that it does. They can focus on simply getting information across to the audience but will greatly improve engagement if they use an action-oriented approach, providing advice for the audience to take away.
Great ideas don’t mean much without implementation and practical steps. For leaders or entrepreneurs, this means giving actionable tasks to your employees, turning big vague goals into smaller achievable ones.
4. They Can Make the Complex Simple.
Sometimes, an individual has stand in front of a large audience and explain a concept that is not exactly simple. While you as a public speaker may be able to grasp the concept of what you are talking about, the audience may not always follow the logic.
One quality good speakers possess is the ability to make even the most complex of theories simple. Remember that your audience might not even know the basics of what you are talking about, and you should draft your speech in a way that allows them to understand everything from the very beginning.
In life, people are drawn to simplicity more than ever before. Making the complex simple is key to achieving better results in many different jobs today. This is why the ability to make anything simple for you, for your team, or for your clients is crucial.
“The definition of genius is taking the complex and making it simple.” ― Albert Einstein
5. They Are Charismatic.
One of the hardest things to do is to captivate your audience while talking in public. The best approach to this doesn't have anything to do with the subject matter you are addressing, but rather the way in which you deliver your message. This is called charisma.
The main point to keep in mind here is that to captivate your audience you need to sound relatable in the way you talk, and be confident in the way you move. Maintaining eye contact, standing tall with great posture and using appropriate hand gestures and facial expressions is always important. The pace at which you talk can also make a significant difference.
In business dealings, charisma counts. A lot. If you want to impress your clients, this will be one of the most important skills to master. You will need extraordinary skills in both verbal and non-verbal communication.
If being confident and charismatic in the way you talk to people isn’t in your nature, there’s no need to force yourself. Don’t fidget or look distracted. Just be authentic and genuine while learning how to use positive body language can be a great start.
6. They Are Always Open to Questions.
Public speakers often shy away from questions because they don’t want to know immediately how the audience perceives the talk that they are giving. This, however, reduces engagement with the listeners. One important point in public speaking is to always be open to questions so that you can engage more with your audience.
Successful people encourage feedback. They pay attention to what is being said to them and listen with interest and an open mind. They act and answer questions with empathy. They are empowered by positive feedback, and they thrive on negative feedback. They learn to control the urge to be defensive. They are open to sentiment and criticism while not taking it too personal.
7. They Share Instead of Sell, Give Instead of Take.
This is one point that applies to those who are going to be speaking in public about their company, profession or product. Instead of trying to sell your product or idea, try to share your thoughts on it. This makes the talk seem more genuine and can result in the audience opting for what you have to offer. This also helps the audience relate to you or your company more.
Doing whatever it takes to get what you want isn’t the approach to success. A better path to success lies in the balance between give and take. Adam Grant suggests in his book "Give and Take" that some of the most successful people are givers, not takers. So, it’s safe to say that one of the best qualities to cultivate to be more successful lies is giving back to a community and to the people around you.
This is what I find most magnetic about successful givers: they get to the top without cutting others down, finding ways of expanding the pie that benefit themselves and the people around them.
― Adam M. Grant
Further Reading from Skills You Need
The Skills You Need Guide to Interpersonal Skills eBooks.
Develop your interpersonal skills with our series of eBooks. Learn about and improve your communication skills, tackle conflict resolution, mediate in difficult situations, and develop your emotional intelligence.
About the Author
Gigi is a creative introvert, inspired writer and digital marketer based in Thailand. With her background in business management, she has been writing about small business, start-ups, and Digi-career improvement since 2012.