The (not-so-secret) secrets to speechmaking success

Every speech and presentation you give is an opportunity to brand your company, and yourself. If you want people to remember you, and what you said – you've got to practice, practice, practice. And use these tips and tricks. All the pros do!

Speechmaking is an important part of Danish culture. Birthday parties, weddings, anniversaries – it’s hard to get through a year of celebrations in Denmark without giving at least one speech or singing one song in front of a (gently swaying) crowd.

This experience gives Danes a healthy head start for making presentations and speeches in the business arena. After all, half the battle is getting up the nerve to stand in front of a crowd, and that gets easier each time you try.

But what about professional speeches – in English – to international audiences? Unlike your family, friends and colleagues at home, the international audience does not know what to expect from you. And you don’t know what to expect from them.

Here are a few tips and tricks that everyone, including Danes, can use to give their public speeches a boost.

The standard tricks really do work
The most current noteworthy example of a world-class speechmaker is US President-elect Barack Obama. Go to YouTube and hear his pre-election rally in Prince William County, Virginia, or his acceptance speech in Chicago, Illinois.

These two speeches are captivating. Inspiring. History-making. And at the same time they’re typical. Predictable. Really nothing special at all. Why? Because Obama uses no more than the standard devices for engaging audiences:

• rhetorical questions – Fired up? Ready to go?
• repeated key message(s) in easy-to-remember phrase(s) – Yes we can!
• a short story – Ann Nixon Cooper, 106-year-old black woman voter from Atlanta
• change in the pace delivery 
• change in volume 
• eye contact (one or two seconds) with as many people as possible

You don’t have to try to sound like Obama to use those same devices to your advantage – in fact it’s important that you try to sound like yourself.

Speak for your brand and yourself
Just like a logo or a tagline, a public speech is an opportunity to brand your company and yourself. What you say – and how you say it – should reflect your brand identity and values. And it should sound like you.

Oddly enough, you have to practice sounding like yourself. Good speechmakers practice every single line of their speeches in advance. They rehearse answers to questions before they’re asked. They identify short stories that will make their audience connect to them as real people – not just as public speakers. They make mistakes during rehearsals, and practice recovering from them. You should do all these things too.

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Two more tips for certain success
Work especially hard on your introduction. They say that a speaker’s anxiety level begins to drop significantly after the first 30 seconds of a presentation. After that – you’ll be cruising.

Consider using a speechwriter. A good one will take your thoughts and ideas and help you weave them together to engage your audience. Your rhythm will flow and your stories will be compelling. Your key messages will stick with your audience. And you will still sound like you.

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Contact Eye for Image if you’d like help crafting powerful speeches or presentations.