When we talk about compelling or successful speakers we tend to think of this poised, charismatic, charming individuals; and rightfully
so. However, being a successful speaker has a bit more to do than natural personality traits. It takes a lot a work. Speakers from TED, and my personal favorite,
Anderson Cooper, know that while certain personality traits can make it easier
to stand up and be a public speaker it also requires a lot of discipline and
work.
While watching Chip Kidd in his presentation about Book
Design, and Anderson Cooper in a commencement speech at Tulane University you
see the commonalities between great speakers. There are three points to be
aware of:
- Knowledge of the material: this is the most crucial of all aspects. A speaker should never get in front of an audience without full knowledge of the material it is presenting. It can make the speaker stumble, not able to dwell on the topic, not able to answer any questions, among other scenarios. All in all, it makes the speaker less credible and the audience will not be interested. In his presentation, Kidd was talking about his experience as a book designer, the material was already known. While Cooper on the other hand was giving his opinion on this graduating class and the speech he gave was his own creation.
- Control over the audience: is a requirement of sorts. When a great speaker talks, its audience listens, when he/she makes a joke the audiences laughs, when he/she asks a reflective question the audience contemplates, and so on. The point being that a great speaker must always maintain control of the audience and guide them through the speech. Much like a teacher has the attention of students, a speaker must be able to develop a relationship with its audience. This can only be achieved with previous knowledge of who the audience is, in terms of demographic, psychographic, and what are their expectations. Both Kidd and Cooper had engagement and had their audiences wanting to know what was coming next. That’s the best a speaker can hope when giving a speech.
- Written speech: is basically the backbone of the whole shindig. With eloquence and charisma you can build upon it, but the written speech is the main point of the presentation. It’s the path to follow, not only for the speaker but also for the audience. The speech must be written in such a way that it guides the audience and digests the information without making it a “for Dummies” reading. The speaker must take into account that this information is only being heard and not read, so it’s about clear and concise messaging that also gives relevant information for the audience to take away.
If a speaker were to have these three points he/she is
already on its way to become a great public speaker. Nevertheless, it must not
underestimate the importance of charisma, transitions, distractions,
conclusions, humor, etc. All the things that play a part in conversations and
speeches, you can play with later. When you have the three main points down,
its time to elevate the speech to great just as Chip Kidd and Anderson Cooper
did.
