Communication expert Monica Lunin shares her tips to make sure your speech lands, every time.
Perhaps the biggest challenge for any anyone speaking publicly is ensuring that your message lands for the people that are listening. Whether you are giving a wedding toast, an inspirational speech or a work presentation, you want your audience to tune in and understand.
Communication can be a tricky, subjective business but these five techniques below will help you get deliver a winning speech in any situation.
Like what you see? Sign up to our bodyandsoul.com.au newsletter for more stories like this.
Start strong & finish strong
First impressions matter and final impressions linger. People may lose the thread of your talk somewhere in the messy middle so make sure you structure a clear introduction and conclusion. This is a simple hack that will get you out of a lot of sticky situations. If you don’t have time to memorise or rehearse your whole speech, at least you can plan to master your intro and conclusion. Your opening should include a hook to grab the attention of the audience. Plan it first, then land it with confidence. The end of your speech should deliver satisfaction, fulfilling the promise you set out at the start.Make a connection
Work with the energy in the room
Before you speak, consider what the attitude, tone or energy level is in the room. What will be happening immediately before you take your turn and how might that impact the mood. There is no sense in trying to force your message on a crowd that is not primed to receive. If people are exhausted inject new energy with some form of engagement or even movement. If they are distracted, make your mark to encourage focus. Try having the music gradually increase in volume then suddenly stop – you will find silence descends and you can begin.Never apologise
Embellish your message
For every point you make think about what you might add to bring it to life. Could you use a metaphor, anecdote, or example to create deeper understanding? Greta Thunberg brings climate change to life with the metaphor of a ‘house on fire’. Grace Tame shares her personal painful story of abuse. Martin Luther King Jnr wraps his ideas in the metaphor of a dream. As with these examples, you need to make sure that whatever device you use is relevant and appropriate to your central idea and where you are speaking. A simple place to start is with your own personal experience – use a story to make a concept real.
Monica Lunin is a communications expert, speaker and writer based in Sydney Australia. She is the co-owner of MOJOLOGIC, a consultancy that specialises in developing the skills of communication, influence and leadership.
Her fascination with communication can be traced back to school and university when she was an avid debater and public speaker. Her academic pursuits in political science and international relations gave way to a career in business – and the power of persuasion has always permeated her view of the world.