Expertise, Plus Personality,
Plus Performance Equals Success
by Dianna Booher, CSP, CPAE

Larry Rogers, a corporate lawyer friend of mine, specializes in corporate finance. He's always dressed impeccably in a pinstriped suit and white shirt, but he tends to blend into the furniture (sorry, Larry) because he's so shy. When joining our social circle at a restaurant, he nods and smiles upon entering the room, takes a seat, and never says another word unless spoken to.

Four years into my acquaintance with Larry, I was invited to conduct a seminar at his company. The subject of public speaking and eloquence came up during our class discussion. Several of the participants commented that they wished they could be eloquent on their feet. One member of the group turned to me and raved: "Speaking of eloquence, you should hear one of our legal VPs. He's fabulous. When he makes a presentation, he has the audience eating out of his hand. He can think of his feet, his language and diction are flawless, and his wit is charming. He's really awesome!" Several others chimed in their agreement. "Oh, really?" I responded. "Would I have met this person in an earlier audience? What's his name?"

"Larry Rogers," they responded.

So, you see, anyone-no matter how shy-can blossom as a speaker by investing the necessary time and preparation.

Become an Expert in Your Topic

I never consider speaking on a topic unless I have learned enough to write a book on the subject. (I didn't say actually write the book-just have enough information to do so.) Yes, it may be a quirk in my make-up, but I don't have the courage to stand up before a group of expectant faces and hearts without adequate preparation. That, unfortunately, means work. There are far too many people traveling around the country speaking to audiences with incomplete, outdated, wrong, or misleading information. Reading a couple of books, skimming half a dozen journal articles, and researching on the internet to find five quotations by famous people is seldom enough to qualify someone to address an audience. In our fast-paced corporate lifestyle, the time and cost of assembling an audience grows daily. Audiences who feel they haven't gained value from a speech will resent our wasting their time.

So I think that the best preparation for a speech is to write a book.

That said, of course, you have to make a living in the meantime. So until you become the expert in your subject, work on becoming. Experience what you're talking about. Interview the best in the field. Observe how things work. Read broadly on the subject. Then, most important, create. You've heard it said many times that there are no new ideas under the sun. But our mission as speakers and authors is to take those ideas, add to them, reshape them, and create content that's uniquely ours.

Content credibility leads to personal credibility-on or off the stage.

But speaking must be more-otherwise, your audiences might just prefer to read your books or your speech scripts. That's where the other two ingredients come in….

Let Your Personality Shine Through
Your delivery style reflects your personality and attitude. To put it simply, people are much more apt to believe you if they like you.

Audiences want both style and substance.
Haven't you observed speakers who had great messages but who lost your respect because of their arrogance? On the other hand, how about those poor ramblers who had tremendous difficulty organizing their thoughts and feelings but whose words moved you because you liked and respected them personally?

Think how much of Ronald Reagan's success can be attributed to the fact that the American public liked him. The media became fixated on that fact; almost every speech analysis during his eight years in office included the words "an extremely popular president." Likewise, from the time President Clinton began his "town hall" meetings on the campaign trail, the media touted his "openness" to the audience and to individuals, attributing it to his caring, one-on-one attitude. As George W. Bush came on the national scene, the media tagged him as a "bumbling" communicator. That is, until voters began to respond well to his personal warmth and unassuming leadership style. Then all of a sudden his ratings as a speaker began to rise. People liked him so they listened to him.

Consider your favorite local news anchors or sports broadcasters. How much of their success can be attributed to viewer opinions such as, "He seems like a nice guy," or "She comes across as warm and intelligent."

Our office recently made a "personality" over "capability" choice in hiring a new trainer. After serious consideration of a candidate with a PhD in journalism and eight years' experience teaching adults technical writing, we settled on our second applicant, who has a master's degree and a likable personality. While we would've been proud to present the PhD to our clients, we unfortunately detected a cynical, arrogant attitude during our interview with her that we feared would be abrasive to her audiences-our clients. We based our final decision on the truism that people don't like to listen to people they don't like.

So, which traits and attitudes are audiences most drawn to in a speaker? Consider the following.

Integrity. Audiences want to listen to a speaker who holds the same moral values they do and reflects the same attitude about life. They want to be able to believe the speaker when he or she states facts and relates experiences.

Genuineness. Audiences want to know that what they see is what they'll get. A few months ago, I heard a speaker at a convention make several offers to address participants' questions and concerns after the session. He seemed genuinely interested in making himself available to anyone in the audience. However, when someone approached him with a question a few hours later, his attitude was quite different. In a brusque manner, he let the audience member, a peer in a trade-show booth across the exhibit aisle, know that he didn't have time to "waste" with others. The speaker's hypocrisy and lack of warmth glared like a neon sign.

Audiences sense genuineness. They don't typically warm up to speakers who hide behind a "facts only" presentation-one that's formal, emotionless, or indifferent. In general, be willing to share who you are with your audience, to laugh at your weaknesses, your mistakes, and your humanity.

Enthusiasm. Relax, and don't be afraid to show enthusiasm for your subject and your presentation. "I'm excited about being here today" says good things to an audience. It generally means that you're confident, you have something of value to say, and you're prepared to state your case clearly. Boredom is contagious. Audiences get it from speakers who resist being "too emotional" about their ideas and the outcome of their presentation.

Even the most mundane topic can be interesting to an audience if you show a little creativity and curiosity. Take the cabbage supply at the Loyola site. Is the price higher or lower than last year? Is the product more profitable or less than the competitor's? Do the grocery store owners agree or disagree about its quality and nutritional value? Do both the rich and poor alike buy it? Why or why not?

If you need more incentive to show enthusiasm, consider the collective value (salary per hour) of audience members' time. Is what you have to say worth $X per minute? Somebody evidently thought so in asking you to make the presentation. That notion should infuse you with confidence and enthusiasm for your subject.

Don't equate enthusiasm with hysteria, however. Don't intimidate your audience by forcing them to raise their hands if they'll contribute at least $X to your cause, bring a friend to next week's meeting, or stop letting their spouse beat them at poker. How much enthusiasm is too much? You have to be the judge. Again, let genuineness be your guide. If you are emotional because you really feel conviction about what you're saying, then you're on solid ground with the audience. When you feel that you're faking enthusiasm, it's time to back off and cool down.

Humility. This characteristic throws many beginning speakers. On the one hand, audiences want the speaker to be an expert and to be knowledgeable about the subject. On the other hand, they don't want a speaker who is arrogant about his or her expertise. You have to determine for yourself the proper balance of expertise, which establishes your credibility, and humility, which makes you come across as likable rather than arrogant.

On occasion, you'll have to sell the audience on your competence to speak on the subject. When you do, select experiences, ideas, and illustrations that convey your range of expertise without sounding egotistical or understated.

It's appropriate to show humility by acknowledging your audience's expertise with a statement such as: "Frankly, I'm a little puzzled about speaking in front of a group such as yours. Many of you have more experience with [topic] than I do. I'm hoping to share a different perspective on [topic] for your consideration."

Keep in mind that a speaker's success rests on three things: likableness, conviction, and competence. But there are ways to show humility other than an overly modest presentation of your credentials. For example, make sure to credit your information sources and any ideas borrowed from others.

"Us" versus "you" tone. Are you seeking a didactic tone or a "we're all in this together" tone? For each presentation, you have to determine which tone to adopt-that of expert, teacher, critic, peer, guide, or motivator. Each is appropriate in certain situations; the trick is deciding which to use with any given audience. In general, adopt an "us" tone rather than a didactic one. In a contest between "eloquent but cold" and "adequate but cordial," the latter tends to make a stronger impact.

Goodwill and a desire to give value. One of most damning responses an audience can give when asked what a speaker had to say is, "Nothing much." Consider every presentation you make a commitment to give something of value to your audience. If you don't have time to prepare or don't feel compelled to make the effort, then I suggest turning down the invitation to speak.

That expectation of value is reflected in this question from an evaluation form: "Did the presenter really seem to care that I learned something?" Along those same lines, the audience comments that mean the most to me are not those concerning my eloquence, expertise, or enthusiasm, but those from listeners who say something like, "What you said changed my life's (or career's) direction." Listeners who claim they've received something valuable enough to change their career direction or boost their commission check make me feel that I've genuinely given value.

The audience has to believe that you have their best interests at heart, have not arrived on the scene with the intention of boring them, and are giving them information designed to help, not hinder, them.

Sense of humor. You don't have to be a stand-up comic or even aim to entertain your audience to inject some humor into your speech. Just adopt a light approach, an attitude of spontaneity, and a willingness to see humor in the ordinary things that happen.

For instance, instead of getting upset when the multimedia visual support goes berserk in the middle of your highly emotional story, reward your audience with your sense of humor and flexibility. Rather than getting stressed out because the previous speaker stole your thunder, comment on her good taste in reciting the latest statistics. Instead of getting frazzled after dropping your notes, quip, "I thought I'd shuffle them halfway through to see if the ideas flow better that way."

Perform with a Natural Delivery Style
Opinions vary widely about which is more important to your success as a communicator - what you have to say or how you say it. Content or style? In my experience, they're equally important. Great ideas zing my brain, and I love playing with nuggets of new information delivered by knowledgeable speakers. But if I have to listen to the monotonous voice of a lifeless presenter, the fun evaporates quickly. Listening becomes work.

On the other hand, I've listened to speakers with piles of pizzazz-they were humorous, graphic, animated, and smooth-but I walked away wondering, "So what did they really say? What did they tell me that I couldn't have heard on any street corner or in any conference room? Where's the value?"

Therefore, I offer two suggestions concerning delivery. First, when your ideas wear thin, quit entertaining, and sit down. Second, when you run out of energy and animation, forget the ideas, because the audience won't be attentive enough to hear them.

After coaching hundreds of professionals in giving oral presentations during the past twenty-two years, here's my thesis: Most people have an animated delivery style one-on-one. Then when they stand before a group, they become their unnatural self-rigid, self-conscious, "contained." That is not to say we're animated and enthusiastic every time we utter a word. You don't say, "The garbage needs to be taken out this morning," with the same fervor as "I just won a trip to Europe!"

But to be your best as a public speaker, you have to learn to distinguish the natural you-the animated, energetic person you are with friends in a relaxed situation-from the unnatural you, whom you become when you're feeling self-conscious in front of a group. Then, be the natural you when speaking to a group and remind yourself you're simply talking to an audience of more than one.

In a nutshell, expertise, plus personality, plus performance equals speaking success. Your audience will let you know when you succeed.

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© Dianna Booher, Booher Consultants, Inc.
Author of 42 books (Simon & Schuster/Pocket, Warner, and McGraw-Hill), Dianna Booher, CSP, CPAE, delivers keynotes, breakout sessions, and training on communication and life-balance issues. Her latest books: Speak with Confidence®, Your Signature Life®, Your Signature Work®, E-Writing, and Communicate with Confidence®. For more information on Dianna and her programs, visit www.diannabooher.com or contact her firm, Booher Consultants, Inc., at 800-342-6621.

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