Count Your Speaker Blessings
“Let us realize that the privilege to work is a gift, the power to work is a blessing, the love of work is success.”
– David O. McKayAs I write this, my wife and I are preparing for Christmas and counting our blessings.
Whether you celebrate Christmas or another holiday, it is still the season to give thanks for our blessings.
You have blessings as a speaker too. Below are three blessings for which we, as speakers, should be grateful.
Blessing of Expressing Yourself
All humans need to express themselves and be heard by others. So every time you speak, you enjoy this blessing.
Think about the last time you spoke in front of an audience. What did you feel when the audience positively reacted during your presentation? Of course, this affirmation of your views is gratifying to any speaker.
Just like a teacher receives feedback from their students, you, as a speaker, receive feedback from your audience. This feedback is the “steering wheel” of your speech, pointing you in the right direction.
Is your audience dozing in spots, or are they on the edge of their seats anticipating your next words? If you get the latter, keep doing what you are doing. If you get the former, change the direction of your presentation.
So, expressing yourself to your audience fills a basic human need you, me, and everyone else needs fulfilled.
Closely akin to the blessing of expressing yourself is the blessing of having people willing to hear you speak.
Blessing of Having People Willing to Hear You Speak
No audience, no presentation. It sounds obvious, but to deliver your presentation, you need an audience.
When you start speaking to groups, they might be tiny. I remember speaking once to five people, and I think one person was the custodian of the building. They paid to hear me speak, and, by golly, I was not going to disappoint them. So always be thinking, “The show must go on.”
Never pass on speaking opportunities, whether it is to five or five hundred people. You may hope to have a large audience to whom to speak, but each person in the audience of five or five hundred came to hear only you speak. So give your audience the best presentation delivery you can, whether the audience is small or large.
Audience members talk to others. Your audience will tell their family, friends, and acquaintances when you deliver an excellent presentation. This leads to more speaking opportunities with larger audiences.
You have three tasks after every presentation – follow up, follow up, and follow up with the event planner. Ask if there are any future speaking needs. Finding a new speaking opportunity can be five times more effort than speaking to the same group again.
So, expressing yourself to your audience and having people willing to hear you speak are two speaker blessings.
The third blessing you derive from your speaking is having a positive effect on your audience.
Blessing of Having a Positive Effect on Your Audience
Another basic human need is to help others. The best way to help ourselves is to help others. Did you know that? If you are ever down in the doldrums, look for opportunities to help others and then act on these opportunities. You won’t be down in the doldrums for very long.
Stephen Covey of The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People wrote another book, First Things First. In this book, Covey tells us humans have four basic needs – to live, to love, to learn, and to leave a legacy. You leave a legacy every time you speak to your audience.
The key to having a positive effect on your audience is to have a purpose for your presentation that fills an audience’s need and want. State your upfront in your presentation.
Also, tell your audience you will be asking them to do something with the information you will deliver in your presentation – their Call to Action. A well-crafted and delivered presentation on your part is not enough. You should always want your audience to take action on what you say. A Call to Action tells your audience what to do next.
To have a positive effect on others, you must discover the wants and needs of your audience. To make your audience members’ personal and professional lives better than before your presentation, you need to know these wants and needs before developing your presentation.
To discover the wants and needs of your audience, perform research on them by answering the following questions:
What does my audience read?
What other presentations has my audience attended?
What are my audience’s frustrations about your subject?
By answering these questions, you can determine what they want and need. Then deliver these wants and needs in your presentation. It’s as simple as that.
Your speaker blessings include expressing yourself to your audience, having people willing to hear you speak, and positively affecting your audience.
By exercising these blessings, you will have a direct and positive effect on improving our world!
Call to Action
Express yourself boldly to your audience.
Your audience wants to hear what you have to say. Reward them by delivering their wants and needs in your presentation.
Always strive to affect your audience members’ personal and professional lives positively.
“A contented mind is the greatest blessing a man can enjoy in this world.”
– Joseph AddisonFrank DiBartolomeo is a retired U.S. Air Force Lieutenant Colonel and award-winning speaker, presentation and interview skills coach, and Professional Member of the National Speakers Association. He was awarded Toastmasters International’s highest individual award, Distinguished Toastmaster because of his outstanding work in public speaking and leadership.
Frank formed DiBartolomeo Consulting International (DCI), LLC (www.speakleadandsucceed.com) in 2007. The mission of DCI is to help technical professionals to inspire, motivate, and influence their colleagues and other technical professionals by improving their presentation skills, communication, and personal presence. Reach Frank at frank@speakleadandsucceed.com and (703) 509-4424.
Don’t miss Frank DiBartolomeo’s latest book!
“Speak Well and Prosper: Tips, Tools, and Techniques for Better Presentations”
Available now at Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com