You’ve written and rewritten your speech.  It sounds great.  The wording is just what you want. Cool adjectives, action verbs, a little rhyme thrown in.  You’ve read it through several times.

Now it’s time to deliver it. And you know how to deliver a speech – you stand up front, looking confident and deliver your great words, phrases and concepts. The audience will soon realize how good your information is and have no choice but to listen.  They will be lured into paying rapt attention; furiously taking notes that will change their lives forever.

If only …

Too many times it’s just a bunch of information thrown out to the audience – what they do with it is up to them.  However, if you want to be a great speaker, it falls on your shoulders to put on a presentation that the audience WANTS to listen to.

You’ve no doubt heard, “If you build a better mousetrap, the world will beat a path to your door.”  Not necessarily.  Just because it’s good, doesn’t mean they’ll buy it.  Same with your content: just because (you think) it’s good, doesn’t mean they’ll buy it.

It’s not about the great words – that’s writing.  This is speaking.  There’s a difference.

Public speaking is much more than your words.  An often referred study is by Mehrabian whose research showed that of the total sense/meaning an audience received just 7% was due to the words themselves; 38% arose from the auditory way those words were delivered (e.g. tone, pace, volume, timing) and 55% was non auditory (‘body language’ dress, posture, gestures).

If we get stuck on the words, we end up with misguided speech goals and believe:

  • It’s all about the info,
  • Deliver it as close to how it’s written,
  • Don’t stumble during your speech,
  • Don’t go overboard with your gestures.

Personally, I can’t recall anyone going overboard on their gestures or delivery.  OK, once – in 18 years of public speaking.

You give your speech and look at your evaluation form(s).

The audience has checked off  the o, and the o and the o.  Which means you must have done a good job.  No, it means you did a good job on the objective, measurable things.

==> What about arousing interest?

==> Variety in your delivery to keep them listening?

==> What about moving the audience to change?

==> A provocative point of view on your topic?

==> A different solution to a familiar problem?

What’s missing is the emotional impact side.  The audience probably got a good speech, but they missed you and your human, personal, “been-there-done-that” real-life story.  Too bad.  That’s when it sinks in and stays.

Changing lives.  Isn’t that why you’re up there?  If not, take up writing.