Every meeting planner wants to book outstanding speakers — the ones who leave an audience feeling excited and inspired, the kind of speaker that attendees later talk about with enthusiasm as they gather with peers around the banquet table or bar.
One way to find the best speakers is to focus on professionals who exhibit qualities that indicate excellence in public speaking. Here are a few traits to think about.
An audience-first attitude
When speakers step on stage, the spotlight is on them, but the best speakers don’t bask in it. Instead, they flip the script and put the audience in the starring role from the start. Such speakers wisely take the servant-leader approach, designing presentations that are all about what the audience wants and needs to know. They show understanding and empathy toward the people seated in front of them, connecting with a crowd that realizes the speaker is there for them. That’s far different from the self-important speaker, who puffs their chest, touts their achievements, or hawks their latest book or podcast. As an article in the Knowledge Enthusiast about what it takes to be a good public speaker pointed out, “People don’t like a prima donna.”
Making points through stories
From the time we are babies, stories captivate us. The best speakers know this and are highly skilled at using stories to illustrate the points they make in presentations. Roger Federer’s 2024 graduation speech at Dartmouth is a great example of effective storytelling to drive home key messages. Ask anyone who was there, and it’s likely they could recount a story or two that Federer told — often self-deprecating ones — as much about his struggles as his successes. He tied the stories to the three “tennis” lessons he had for the graduates as they started the next stage of their lives. Gifted speakers hold attention as they tell funny and touching tales or describe emotional experiences. They aren’t standing up there stating facts and stats. Instead, they take their audiences on a journey, being genuine and relatable, like Federer, as they talk about twists and turns, hopes and fears.
Creating a sensory experience
A speaker’s job is about much more than spitting out a bunch of sentences. Lectures and talks are also highly visual experiences, more like a play than a podcast. Think of how snoozy you feel when a speaker simply stands behind a podium, reading a scripted speech. That won’t hold any audience’s attention for long. The most talented speakers make their presentations a total body experience, without going overboard. They smile, laugh, go silent for emphasis. They speak slowly to give people time to absorb their message. They point. They pace. Their moves serve as visual punctuation for their presentation, and their lively body language telegraphs passion and excitement for their topic. They might use props or visuals, but they don’t overwhelm with them, and they make sure that what they flash on a big screen is interesting, clever, funny or even beautiful.
Delivering the right material
A speaker can have excellent stage presence yet deliver material that doesn’t land with most of the audience. Attendees at many conferences are often at different points in their careers; wise speakers adjust their messages to suit. A mixed audience can be a chance for a speaker to go over some basics for the less experienced and, at the same time, make it clear that those with more experience can chime in with their input. One sign of a pro is the speaker who reaches out ahead of the conference to learn about issues facing an industry or profession and how the audience is likely to be feeling about their work and the future.
Willingness to shift gears
Let’s face it: Something always goes awry during conference sessions. A microphone fails. The hotel’s AC goes out. A speaker’s flight is late. Deborah Grayson Riegel, a speaking professional, wrote a great column about how she once had to compress a 45-minute talk into eight minutes when other speakers ran long. She did it, and her audience appreciated it. A speaker who is adaptable and knows how to stay cool when problems pop up will win the day. They also know how to read the room and pick up on the verbal and visual cues audiences provide, such as staring into their phones or shifting restlessly in their seats. The best speakers can make adjustments in the middle of their presentation and get the crowd reengaged. Marjorie North, a consultant who specializes in public speaking, had this advice for speakers in an article she wrote for a Harvard business blog: “Keep the focus on the audience. Gauge their reactions, adjust your message, and stay flexible. Delivering a canned speech will guarantee that you lose the attention of or confuse even the most devoted listeners.”
