Who strikes you as a powerful speaker? Martin Luther King, Winston Churchill, Barack Obama …?
What qualities do they have? Confident, convincing, determined, inspiring?
Have you wondered where their speaking power comes from?
It definitely does not come from PowerPoint.
When Martin Luther King proclaimed “I have a dream”, was he using PowerPoint with a clip art picture? Oh yes, there was no PowerPoint at his time. With no PowerPoint and any other props, Dr. King moved the nation. His power was from within.
When Winston Churchill called on British People to “Never, never, never, never give in”, neither did he have any props to rely on, but the power within.
Speaking power never comes from anything outside of you. It comes from the power within you. As a speaker, you are the power.
Powerful speakers are not born. Ralph Waldo Emerson said, “All the great speakers were bad speakers first.” Obama was not even a good speaker before he got into politics. Martin Luther King was said that he only got a “C” for his presentation in college. Speaking powerfully is a learned skill. Practice and master the following skills, you, too, can become a powerful speaker.
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Speak from Your Heart
Think for a minute about a person you don’t like. Speak out his/her name. Were you excited when you spoke out his/her name just now? Now try this. Say the following with passion, “I like ××× (state the name of the person you don’t like)!” Did you feel comfortable saying that? I doubt it.
If you have no passion for the message you want to convey, you’ll never appear powerful. If you are not convinced yourself, what is your chance of convincing others?
Powerful speakers first believe in what they convey; they have a strong passion towards what they believe in. Martin Luther King did not stand in front of thousands of people and said, “I have a plan.” Dr. King, with a strong urge of pursuing equality, proclaimed, “I have a dream!”
To speak powerfully, first speak what you love. Find the topics that you are passionate about. Believe in what you want to convey. Your passion and your power will flow out.
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