To be excellent at something, you need to possess unique traits to excel. And if your chosen craft is public speaking, you need to understand how to harness fundamental characteristics to your advantage.
Key Takeaways
Here are eight core qualities that you need to hone to perfect your craft:
- Speak concisely and articulately
- Possess originality and radiance as an authentic individual
- Enthusiastically present your material and take command of the stage
- Ability to read the room and adjust accordingly
- Knowledge about what you’re speaking on
- Imagination and captivating creativity
- Natural and comfortable as a speaker (no nervous body language!)
- Garner respect and attention from the crowd
Public SPEAKING is about more than writing a script and reading from it in front of some colleagues. It’s about taking full command of language and communication to connect with your audience.
But not everyone has what it takes to become one of the best public speakers. I know exactly what it takes to become an exceptional professional speaker.
Keep reading, and I’ll share it all with you!
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Public SPEAKING Skills You Need To Be Successful
The most successful speakers aren’t just born with these amazing skills. It takes diligent practice and active exercise to improve at anything in life. And public speaking isn’t any different!
So, if you want to become a great speaker, you need to understand what it takes.
I can tell you precisely what you need to focus on to be successful in the event industry. I’ve made a name for myself as an entertaining and sensational public speaker, and it wasn’t because of luck.
It takes certain essential qualities to effectively communicate and connect with an audience as a speaker. And these skills need to be improved upon through practice and self-awareness.
But enough talk. Here are the top eight qualities that the best speakers have that make them successful at what they do.
#1. Speak Concisely And Effectively
Public speaking is about communication. Great speakers know how to effectively convey their point to their audience for maximum impact.
It should go without saying that a significant aspect of public speaking is your ability to concisely communicate with your audience.
This can manifest in many different ways. First, your words themselves need to be clearly understood. Rambling monologues and jumbled stories are not the marks of a great speaker.
The Mark Of Great Speaking Skills
Great public speakers know how to simplify complex topics.
Your message needs to be engaging yet believable. It’s a good idea to break presentations down into smaller chunks to help drive your main points home.
The audience should be able to understand and absorb the message you give them without the need for additional explanation. Communication is key here.
#2. Pure Originality And Individualism
Effective public speakers aren’t just masters of confidence and passion on the stage. They are also able to connect with their audience through genuine authenticity.
You’ve already failed if your audience perceives you as unoriginal, boring, a copycat, or any other similar term. Instead, your audience needs to see your individualism come out.
That’s how you will truly capture your audience’s attention.
#3. Enthusiastically Present What You’re Speaking About
Professional public speakers aren’t boring in their acts. After all, your audience can quickly tell when you’re excited about what you’re speaking on.
Genuine enthusiasm is felt by everyone in the room. And if the speaker lacks that excitement, so will the audience.
Ensure you stay focused on creating an atmosphere of comfort, fun, and excitement. This is the mark of great speakers!
#4. Ability To Read A Room
I can call it “the ability to read a room.” But this particular speaking skill is about something more than that.
As I said earlier, good public speakers know how to effectively communicate their message to the audience. But that would be impossible for a speaker to do without adequate self-awareness.
The power to focus on your own thoughts and behavior is critical. You need to be able to understand how an audience will interpret your speech.
To create an engaging and intriguing presentation, you must be able to align your actions with your values. Self-awareness is also about discovering your weaknesses to improve these areas.
#5. Knowledge Of The Topic
Many qualities and features can establish someone as a successful and effective public speaker. But don’t forget about the meat of your message!
A successful presentation is about delivering a meaningful, impactful, and clear speech. Don’t focus too much on the talking that you forget about the words you’re saying.
Focus on curating and creating a captivating speech to ensure your points make sense and complete your overall mission.
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#6. Imagination And Great Storytelling
Speaking skills go deeper than your specific behavior and interactive qualities. The best way to give a compelling and authentic speech is by telling an engaging story!
Stories are the best way to truly connect with your listeners. And storytelling is what makes great public speakers too!
Even in the corporate world, presentations shouldn’t feel like a lecture or even a presentation at all.
Instead, your speech or presentation should feel like a moment to share a meaningful experience or story with your audience. That is how you build trust and rapport with the people you’re communicating with.
#7. Natural On Stage And Speaking In Public
The speakers that are excellent at what they do make it look easy. The greats at anything in life always make their craft look effortless.
One of the marks of a great public speaker is their innate capacity to flow naturally in front of an audience. They don’t make it look difficult or uncomfortable.
If you have a fear of public speaking, you might need to practice more than others to knock this quality out of the park. Don’t feel discouraged by it, however. That’s what will make you stand out in the end.
It’s natural to feel nervous. But expressing confidence and comfort when speaking to a crowd will help you mask your fear and overcome it!
Focus on these fundamentals when practicing to strengthen your speaking skills (and, yes, practicing is the foundation for it all!)
- Ensure you can maintain eye contact
- Eliminate nervous fidgeting
- Use voice modulations while still maintaining your natural voice
#8. Garner Respect And Attention Through Confidence
Giving a memorable, impactful, and expressive speech is about more than just writing the perfect script and preparing the most eye-catching visual. If your audience doesn’t trust what you’re saying, it’s all for nothing!
Connecting to your audience is the foundation of your message. The greatest speakers have a knack for reaching their target listeners on an emotional and ethical level.
In fact, if your audience trusts you and the words you’re saying, you’re golden. This is known as ethos.
Utilizing The Power Of Confidence
People consider trustworthy and credible speakers to be confident, knowledgeable, and generally likable. There is a lot that can go into this.
Keep in mind that you’re creating a symphony. Manifesting credibility and confidence in your message is about playing to your strengths and improving your weaknesses.
However, there’s one profound quality that can benefit all aspects of public speaking. That single quality is confidence. If you can harness the power of passion and confidence, you are already on your way to becoming a fantastic public speaker!
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Adam Christing has been called “The Tom Brady of emcees.” He has hosted more than 1,000 company meetings, special events, gala celebrations, and more. He is the author of several books and founder of CleanComedians.com. For more event tips, follow Adam Christing on Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, LinkedIn, and YouTube.
