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What Makes a Good Speaker?

by Sandra Schrift

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TITLE: What Makes a Good Speaker?
AUTHOR: Sandra Schrift
CONTACT: sandra@schrift.com
COPYRIGHT: ©2006 by Sandra Schrift. All rights reserved
Format: 60 Characters per line
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What Makes a Good Speaker?

When people hear that I owned a national, professional
speakers bureau for 13 years, they often ask me, who are the
best speakers and why? What follows are some of the
characteristics of a very successful speaker who is often a
highly paid speaker.

‘Tell' em what you're going to tell them, tell them, and
then tell' em what you told them."

1.They arrive early and check out the sound system and
introduce themselves to audience members during the
networking time.

2.They speak on a subject that their audience needs to hear.
And they use words and body language that shows their
passion and authenticity.

3.They connect with their audience in the first few minutes
with a riveting story, a funny incident, a startling
statement or perhaps a poem. They know how to make their
opening remarks relate to the material that follows.

4. They have no fear. They don't only say what the audience
wants to hear, but what they NEED to hear. In other words,
their remarks may raise some eyebrows. They give their
audiences some fresh ideas.

5.They never make more than 3-4 points in their speech.
They don't feel the need to tell an audience everything they
know. No one can retain it all. For each major point they
tell an illustrative story. A good story evokes emotion and
offers a lesson. The audience members are then only a step
away from their own story.

6. They make great eye contact and make each person feel
attended to. This makes them appear to be more heartfelt
and really present for their audience.

7. Before closing, they summarize and reiterate their major
points. They end with an inspiring story and a call to
action. They hold the audience accountable - to take some
action in the next few days, weeks.

8.They don't talk too long. They know how much time they
have been assigned and they don't exceed it.

9.They rehearse their speech a few times but never sound
canned. They NEVER read their speech verbatim.

10.All successful speakers market themselves. They all
promote themselves. And they all Network. They are a model
of excellence. And you can be too!


New! Do you want to learn how to give a compelling speech?
Would you like to know what sets leaders apart? Are you
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buttons? Now you can. Buy the audio CD (available as an MP3
download). "POWER PRESENTATIONS FOR PROFESSIONALS" at
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