If you prefer video content over text, I explain this material with fun, musical examples in my YouTube video.
When you think of a “public speaker”, you probably think of someone who’s “loud” and “intense”.
In this article, I debunk that myth by showing how skillful public speaking isn’t about volume or intensity. It’s about contrast:
What Not To Do
Pretend you’re attending a talk, and the speaker shouts the following:
“I don’t have a pain reliever problem. I solved my pain reliever problem 20 years ago by buying the generic or the yellow box or the cheap one. Well this is your challenge. You are busy trying to sell something that solves a problem people don’t think they have. And if you’re showing up trying to sell something that people don’t think they need, they’re not going to listen to you. That’s a challenge”
No matter how charismatic the speaker, if they’re constantly yelling, it’s going to get old fast. It would feel like this image: noisy, flashy, with everything equally loud and unimportant.
What To Do
Check out how Seth Godin, bestselling author of “This is Strategy,” delivers the same message. You only need to watch about 30 seconds from the video to get a sense of Seth’s technique:
I’ve used boldness to indicate where Seth purposefully increases the volume and intensity:
“And the reason is simple. I don’t have a pain reliever problem. I solved my pain reliever problem 20 years ago by buying the generic or the yellow box or the cheap one. Well this is your challenge. You are busy trying to sell something that solves a problem people don’t think they have. And if you’re showing up trying to sell something that people don’t think they need, they’re not going to listen to you. That’s a challenge”
That line stands out because everything else is less loud and less intense.
It feels like this image:
The very first thing you perceive is the line for B. It is the “loudest” and most “intense” line, with everything else grey and more transparent.
You instantly understand that line is the most important part of the image.
Just like you immediately understood this line “You are busy trying to sell something that solves a problem people don’t think they have” is the most important part of Seth’s message.
Summary
When you speak, identify where you want the peak of your narrative or your climax of your message to be. Give it an appropriate contrast in volume and intensity so it stands out among all the other sentences.
That’s how you sustainably engage your audience and masterfully direct their attention.
If you’re looking for further guidance on how to differentiate your communication skills and stand out in the workplace, take my free self-assessment.
I’m writing a book on thinking quickly, speaking clearly, presenting convincingly, and supercharging your executive presence. My current focus: a section on storytelling. This will be a psychological primer on telling business stories that inspire action, using a reproducible formula.
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