Charisma
How do you become a charismatic speaker? The answer is simpler than you may imagine. Speak with enthusiasm and passion. Be human, after all it is humans you are communicating with so build rapport by demonstrating that you are human too.
It is a common belief that as an “expert” people must hold you in awe or high regard, that somehow you must be distant. You may well establish yourself as an expert that way but you will never be charismatic.
The essence is to speak with passion and energy, both of which are infectious.
Be human and bring yourself to the stage. If you stand in front of any group of interested people and talk with conviction about a subject they care about then you will be delivering a charismatic speech.
If what you have to say isn’t important to you or you don’t convey the importance it has to you then at best you will give an average performance. Think of any famous speech you may be familiar with, perhaps you thought of Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela, Bob Geldof, Winston Churchill or a host of others. What do they all have in common? Passion. Every memorable speech was delivered with passion.
Now, I’m not saying people will be quoting your presentation as being of historical importance but you will carry along the people listening to you and leave a lasting impression about both you and your subject.
How do you achieve the passion? Get confident at speaking, speak about things that matter to you and when you speak do it with enthusiasm and the desire to make your audience totally interested in your subject.
Use the rapport building skills you have to make sure you address the whole audience, keep good eye contact, keep your body language positive and bring your energy and enthusiasm to the room.
Above all be yourself. If you are trying to fake it then it will show. Be yourself with enthusiasm.
I know passion and enthusiasm are not words we commonly associate with the corporate world. It is often seen as cold and clinical with a “winner takes all” mentality. To some degree that may be true, but the overwhelming fact is that business people are just that. People. People respond to passion no matter what the situation.
Use strong imagery to make your points, activate their imaginations. Enticing people to use their imagination to see the world the way it could be if they take on board your message is a powerful way to connect with people.
If you believe your subject is the most boring thing in the world then you are right. Take that same subject and find a way to make it interesting and throw in a dash of enthusiasm and suddenly your “dull” topic has people rapt. Let me give you an example.
I was once forced to attend a seminar on screw fixings for the roofing industry and anticipated a mind numbingly boring few hours during which I would struggle to stay awake.
Imagine my surprise when the guy walked in and announced that we were about to have a great fun session and proceeded to deliver exactly that, because he brought his enthusiasm to the presentation.
We learned about which screws worked in which situation, how they were developed and not only heard stories of mishaps by people using the wrong fixings, but he also gave demonstrations that physically (and violently!) showed the dangers of poor fixing. We had team competitions to see which team could do the fastest fix (and do it properly) which were tested by the opposing teams and I not only stayed awake but thoroughly enjoyed the experience.
I enjoyed it because the presenter made it enjoyable, not because screw fixings are the most fun thing to ever be invented. He took the time to engage with us and make the whole thing interesting.
He presented with passion. About screw fixings! It can be done even if you have a “boring” subject. If you are interested enough you can make it interesting.