If They Don’t FEEL It, Your Speech Messageย Won’t Stick
As I sat in the back of the darkened room, electricity was in the air. 2,400 audience members were eagerly awaiting the start of the biggest speech contest of the year. 10 contestants from all around the globe competing for the title of 2015 World Champion of Public Speaking.
As a speaking coach, I was eager to see how each presenter would impact the audience. It was also my first opportunity to judge a contest based on a recommendation from my friend and mentor, Darren LaCroix.
In the end, it was the first time in memory that I picked the top three finishers, in correct order. By the way, Iโm not bragging. Iโve watched these contests for 19 years. Eventually, I had to get one correct, right??
The truth is, Iโm a slow learner. It was Darrenโs advice that made the difference. Several months ago, he challenged me to โfeelโ a speech before I evaluated the technical aspects of it.
His suggestion was invaluable.
In a contest with a wide of variety of subjects – some very difficult to discuss publicly – the threeย that stood out most focused on common issues (relationship difficulties; how we treat the people closest to us; the power of the words we use).
Each of these three speakers was funny. Each immediately connected with the audience. Each used memorable stories and metaphors. In the end, it came down to a feeling.
Although the second and third place finishers had all of the elements of a memorable talk – terrific 
writing, excellent delivery and memorable stories – it was the ability of the winner, Mohammed Qahtani of Saudi Arabia, to provide a โpunch in the gut momentโ near the end of his talk that made the difference.ย
Mohammed took a subject which many people misuse and shared a brief, yet powerful example of it to punctuate his main message. It was masterfully crafted, dynamically presented, and offered just a bit more of that essential ingredient – FEELING – that made the difference.
In the end, all 3 of the top finishers would be worthy World Champions. They each gave a speech that had all of the essential elements.
As you write and practice your next talk, focus on creating emotion that gives your speech an extra edge, a feeling in your audience that they havenโt just listened to a speech, theyโve had an experience.
To view clips of the top 3 speeches, click the links below:
3rd Place finisher, Manoj Vasudevan, click here.
2nd Place finisher, Aditya Maheswaran, click here.
1st Place finisher, Mohammed Qahtani, click here.
NEXT POST: Sit Down in Order to Stand OUT!
RECOMMENDED RESOURCE OF THE WEEK
‘THE Book on Storytelling’ย by…. me. Learn how the best speakers, storytellers and presenters develop and deliver stories that immediately grab audience attention, keep them on the edge of their seats, and inspire them to act of their message. This step-by-step ‘playbook’ will help you do the same.
For more details, and to order the soft-cover version, click here.ย For the Kindle version, click here.
Michaelโs mission is to help leaders, managers and sales professionals communicate with more confidence, impact, and influence. This passion is born from his own communication difficulties early in his career.
Fortunately, he discovered that public speaking is like riding a bike, swimming or driving a car - itโs a learnable skill. Once he discovered this โsecretโ he became a voracious student of the craft. He took courses, studied some of the worldโs best speakers and storytellers and continues to study presentation and business storytelling skills.
He is hired by companies and organizations, leaders, managers and sales professionals, and TEDx speakers to help them become more confident, impactful and influential communicators.
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