Becoming a Great Speaker
Overview
This module provides an overview of the key steps in the process of creating a great speech, from honing your story and message to knowing your audience and how to inspire them. You will drill deeper into each of these skillsets in subsequent modules.
Introduction
Think of the best public speaker you have ever heard. Do you remember their story, their core message, their presence on stage? Were you impressed by their knowledge, their data — or was it something else? Something more?
Great speeches do not just happen. Each one is curated, crafted, and practiced. Public speaking is a skill — one that can be taught.
The standout qualities of great public speakers fall into four key categories:
- A compelling personal story
- An understanding of the audience
- A clear message
- Strong performance skills
Through this series of six online trainings, we’ll break down these skills to help you become a confident public speaker, an expert in telling your story and the story of the community you are working to create. Whether you are speaking to a group of neighbors, a community group, funders, students, or anyone else, this content will help you develop your message and style to connect with your audience and inspire them to action.
Watch a Great Speech
Test your knowledge
Which of the following qualities of a great speaker did Arica employ in her speech?
Spoilers for the above!
Yes, Arica deployed all four elements of a great speech:
- Personal story: Arica’s story is about choosing a place to live and raise a family and how her daughter’s question inspired her to build community.
- Understanding the audience: Arica was speaking at a community college to students, so used language and images that even people who weren’t parents would find meaningful.
- Clear message: Arica’s story ends with a clear moral or message: If you have a vision of the community you and your neighbors want to live in - the community that reflects your values - you can’t wait around for it to happen. You have to build it together.
- Strong performance: Arica is relaxed and passionate. She makes eye contact with those in the audience. She speeds up, slows down, and pauses to make her storytelling interesting.
Your Own Story Matters
Every great speech tells a story and every great speaker uses their own story to connect emotionally with the audience. The challenge for a great speaker is to share enough about themselves to gain trust and elicit empathy from the audience, so people will be open to hearing a message that possibly challenges their thinking or motivates them to action.
But it can be hard for many of us to talk about ourselves! We might feel nervous or embarrassed about sharing our past. We might be afraid that people will judge us or we might worry we will come across as cocky or self-centered if we talk about ourselves. Being vulnerable as a speaker may feel scary, yet opening up about yourself creates a bond between you and the audience.
This speaker-audience connection is necessary for a speech to be memorable. Even when the speech is not actually about you, you are the person delivering the message. Because of this, authenticity in your delivery goes a long way. It allows people to trust you and take what you’re saying to heart.
We often feel like we have to appear professional and extra smart when we get in front of a group, no matter the size. We might want to use bigger words than we normally would. We might feel pressured to speak like we know all the answers.
But those instincts get in the way of giving a great speech. When we sound most authentic, like we are talking with friends and speaking in a way that conveys ease and trust, the audience will be relaxed and want to listen.. An authentic you is a powerful you. And we’re going to help you get there.
Test your knowledge
True or False: An audience will judge you and your message mainly on your credentials and how polished your speech is.
Where do you want to grow?
In the next five learning units, we will discuss the following speech-creating steps in-depth:
- Know Your Story: using your story to connect emotionally with the audience.
- Know Your Audience: understand motivations and perspectives in order to advance your goals and activate your community.
- Know Your Message: clarify and sharpen your core message and establish yourself as a credible messenger.
- Know Your Performance: learn how to deliver your words in a way that keeps your speech moving and engaging.
- Know Your Growth Strategy: evaluate your performance and determine growth edges to get better with each new opportunity to speak.
Reflect on yourself as a speaker
- What are your strengths? Your growing edges?
- What skills do you want to improve?
- Which of the 4 elements that make a great speaker do you most want to build on?
These online learning modules will offer you tools to hone your skills and become a compelling public speaker. Each one is designed to help you understand, embrace, and use the skills at your own pace and in your own time. So take a breath, relax, and enjoy the road to becoming a great speaker.