Introducing: Speak with Passion

If you want to be just another public speaker, there are a lot of books, seminars, and classes that you can take. They'll teach you how to craft your slides, how to dress, how to look at the audience, how to slow down your delivery, how to punch up your points, etc. All are great techniques. But none will teach you how to give a speech that will "wow" the audience, and have your speech be remembered and remarked upon.

The #1 problem with speeches is that they're designed around the paradigm of a lecture. You have some key points you wish to teach, so you describe the problem, showcase your tips, and then wrap up your presentation with some great take-aways. How likely is this "how to" speech to be remembered a week later?

Inspirational talks are similar to lectures -- the point is to impart a feeling into the audience to help them achieve more. So, heartwarming stories are told, and lessons that are embedded in the stories are shared. Weeks later, the stories may be remembered, but the adrenalin rush that accompanied the presentation/workshop dissipated.

So, what's the secret to crafting a speech with passion? Personal heartfelt stories. A personal heartfelt story differs from a lecture in that you're not positioning yourself to be more educated than your audience. These are not inspirational talks either -- they don't pull out a specific storyline as a "teachable" moment. Instead, you dig down to show something of deep emotional significance to yourself. Sharing that immediately connects your humanity with your audiences'. Heartfelt emotions aren't enough -- you also need a story -- something that can be remembered by the audience. It must contain specific details to help people visualize your story. It must have a clear beginning, middle, and end (for more details read "How To Tell Your Marketing Story"). And it must be true.

To speak with passion means you're connecting heart-to-heart with your audience, not brain-to-brain. A heartfelt connection is what your audience is craving. Help them get what they deeply desire.