I want to share with you three things you can do to become a more exceptional speaker. I use the word exceptional because many people want to be speakers, want to be motivational speakers, want to be inspirational speakers, want to be different types of speakers. But a lot of people don’t do the work that it takes to become exceptional. Many people do not hone their skills; they don’t sharpen their tools to become exceptional.
I met a gentleman who said he was a motivational speaker, and he wanted to become a professional motivational speaker. He was going to schools (and I’ve seen him speak at several places) but his entire demeanor, the way he presented himself, was low energy. I don’t know if I’d be motivated by him. He was in a situation where he joined a group with me to help him become a better speaker; after a few meetings, he stopped attending. When I called or texted, he would say he got busy with his “thing.” So he wasn’t putting in the work; he wasn’t hungry. He didn’t want to be a better speaker; he just wanted to have the title.
If you want to be a better speaker, you’ve got to put in the work. When you are an exceptional speaker, several things happen:
- you get referrals,
- you get rebooked multiple times,
- you connect with people,
- they fall in love with you,
- they enjoy your energy and being around you.
#1
To become an exceptional speaker, you have to read. If you’re not reading, you’re not getting any content. You don’t have any stories to pull from; you don’t have any information, you don’t have any expert knowledge to use. All you’re pulling from is the stuff floating around inside your head. If you’re only watching reality TV, then you’re not going to have content that vibes with people; you’re not going to have content they view as credible. So you want to make sure you read.
#2
Writing is also a crucial part of becoming an exceptional speaker. We all can write and read the words before us, but our minds have to process these words. You have to put words on paper in a way that’s accessible to people that they can understand. If you can understand the flow of it when you’re writing it, then you’re going to be able to share that with people. Often, as speakers, we just use off the cuff, we are just speaking, and we’re just talking about things. Sometimes we just ramble on, and we don’t have a structure in mind with how we will share information. So what you’ve got to do is begin to write a bit more because when you write, you can see the flow and its structure better. You can see what the question is or what the point is initially; then, you can add supporting statements underneath or take people on this journey. It’s a bit harder to do that; If you’re just speaking off the cuff, you’re rambling and unsure which way to go. So writing helps you to figure out what are some of the structures that work that you can use.
#3
Practice, practice, practice, you’ve got to practice! I create Youtube Videos weekly, and that helps me to practice my speaking. I’ve seen speakers who do not practice before an engagement, ended up using a lot of filter words, apologizing, flustering and their speeches ended up not having a flow as the words are just coming out of their head. Speakers will be invited to speak at an engagement, and all they will write down is a standard title “ I have come to speak with you today about……….”. They will begin speaking, and you can get the sense that they are not prepared. They will start apologizing a lot, and this will then, in turn, make your audiences begin to lose confidence in what it is that you are presenting. They’re not using their expertise and their experience. I would like to point out that you don’t want to apologize; you’ve got to practice.
You can become a rock star and exceptional speaker using these three tips. Number one, read Number two, make sure that you write. Number three, make sure that you practice.
You can also find this post on https://robertkennedy3.medium.com/3-top-tips-to-become-an-exceptional-speaker-8f3c89a8f8e3
For more tips on communication, leadership, and motivation, visit my YouTube channel on https://www.youtube.com/robertkennedy3.