As a motivational speaker for high schools, I am a firm believer in the art of oratory. In this modern era, the best way to impact our world in a positive way is to stand up and say something. Words, and the emotion in which they are delivered, can be broadcast across the planet at lightning speed. Rhetoric is language plus. It is different from giving a plain speech or acting as master of ceremonies at a wedding.
Great oratory has the capacity to bring about a visceral shift in a person’s character and attitude.
Of all the talents bestowed upon men, none is so precious as the gift of oratory. He who enjoys it wields a power more durable than that of a great king.
Winston Churchill
This art form, presentation literacy, can be taught and should be a fundamental skill we all have the pleasure of learning. It is also one of the most transferable skills a young person can build, whether they end up on a stage or simply need the confidence to speak up in a classroom or a job interview.
My Top Twelve Tips for A-List Communicators
Below is a list of my top twelve tips for being an A-List Communicator and an inspiring motivational speaker for high schools and adult audiences alike.
1. Analyse
The first key to being an A-List Communicator is to commit to daily study so you can become an expert or thought leader in your field. Having something valuable to say is best achieved through having a wealth of knowledge. Analyse copious amounts of information and create your own message, modules and infographics to display your knowledge in a palatable way.
2. Be Accurate
Deliver well documented information and personally find the reference for all data and information you present. Saying “research has shown” without being able to name the source means you are either making things up or you do not really know what you are talking about. Practise your presentation in a deliberate way to ensure you have mastered every element.
3. Be Articulate
Daily, increase your vocabulary by using a new word from the dictionary each time you deliver your talk. Words are the tools we use to frame our thoughts. Make sure your tools are sharp, and that you have the right tool for the task at hand.
4. Be an Assembler
Create a digital storage file on every topic you are passionate about. Then collect stories, illustrations, statistics and quotes on each subject. Split your desk into two spaces, a creative space and a digital space. In the digital space, collate all the information you are studying into a system of files. Use the creative space, which holds your pens, pencils, blank paper and crayons, to create, ideate and design your thinking using mind maps and design thinking methods.
5. Acclimatise to Your Audience
Research your audience’s socio-economic status, age, profile, religion and culture. Get a handle on their hopes and dreams. Understand the culture you are speaking into, and never lose touch with the audience. An amateur’s best advice is to imagine them naked, but they deserve more respect than that. If you do not respect your audience, they will not respect you.
6. Be an Athlete
Study like you work out: daily. If you are tired, it affects your articulation. You will start to breathe heavily, and it will be noticed. Be disciplined, and train yourself mentally, physically and spiritually. Develop the mindset of a champion when you speak.
Demosthenes placed rocks in his mouth and ran up hills while declaring his speech in front of a roaring ocean. This exercise trained his voice for vocal strength and enabled him to speak to the masses.
7. Alternate Your Audio
Monotone speakers are the worst to listen to. They send us off into lala land, lulling us to sleep. Below are five essential ways to alternate your audio.
Volume – speak louder than normal conversation. Project your voice to the back of the room. Vary your volume from loud to soft to moderate.
Pitch – speak with melody and rhythm. Turn some of your sentences into a song or a rhyme.
Rate – vary your speed from very fast, to fast, to medium, to slow, to very slow. Increase your range of gears.
Pause – learn the art of a long, silent pause to bolster a point.
Enunciation – speak with empathetic enunciation, and vary your tone.
8. Accentuate
Stop giving a speech. Instead, communicate. Find your power zone and accentuate it. Your power zone could be humour, encouragement, motivation, content, emotion, intellectual thought or strategy, to name just a few. Discover your superpower, and harness every bit of it to move your audience.
9. Be an Artist
Public speaking is a performance art, so paint a picture when you speak. Build tension, raise questions, and create contrast and conflict. Ambiguity can be your friend when it is used to create tension.
When we hear a presentation, we all know it will end happily, but any good story poses challenges along the way. We all know Katniss is going to make it, but we still want to see how much trouble she gets into along the way. A good plot keeps us interested, entertained and focused.
10. Accumulation of Argument
Present a coherent series of facts and statistics all pointing in a common direction. State your case, then steadily build your argument. Argue your case on the authority of your evidence and research. Make sure it has a rhythm attached to it, and that it hits the audience in waves of emotion and enlightenment.
11. Analogy
If a picture tells a thousand words, then an analogy brings forth a thousand truths. Analogies, stories and parables all contain hidden meaning, and if delivered effectively they can transform audiences. Analogies have been used throughout the centuries to bring about cultural change, and they are just as powerful today.
12. Provoke Action
At the end of every speech, have the audience respond and take decisive action.
When Cicero spoke, the people stood and cheered. When Demosthenes spoke, the people stood and marched.
Ancient Roman saying
Get them to march, and you will be well on your way to being an A-List Communicator.
Why Communication Skills Build Resilience in Students
I share these twelve tips with adult audiences, but I use every one of them as a motivational speaker for high schools too. Confidence in front of a room is not just a performance skill. It is a resilience skill. Learning to organise your thoughts, hold your nerve and speak with conviction under pressure teaches a student that they can face hard things and come through the other side.
What the Research Says
Research published through the National Institutes of Health has found that resilience-focused communication training measurably reduces communication apprehension among students. In other words, the nervous system that makes public speaking feel threatening can be retrained. Practice, structure and repetition build resilience the same way they build skill.
This is precisely why I built a seminar around presentation literacy for schools. When a student learns to analyse, prepare, and deliver a message with conviction, they are not just becoming a better speaker. They are building the same resilience muscles that will serve them through exams, job interviews and the inevitable setbacks of growing up.
Want your students to build genuine confidence and resilience through communication? As a motivational speaker for high schools, I deliver a seminar on presentation literacy and the art of effective communication. Explore our seminars or visit The HopeFULL Institute to learn more.