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Connect With Your Audience: Tell Them a Story

What's the best way to connect with your audience and deliver your message? Surround your important, big idea with a story the audience will remember.

Facts, statistics, charts, and quotations are important -- when they amplify and back up a memorable story. But without the story to anchor them, facts and statistics just float away.

Let's say you want to talk about leadership. Your message could be this: Leadership means looking for what people need to succeed -- and then helping them get what they need."

To make your point, you could use a statistic. Here's one from Grant Thornton, a global accounting and business consultant: "66% of business leaders say they are more aggressively educating employees on their role in delivering on the value proposition." Interesting, but will you remember it next week?

Now let's try a story to make the same point.

In 2003, the Portland Trail Blazers were in the playoffs. There were 20,000 people in the arena -- with a national TV audience watching. A local 13-year-old girl had been chosen to sing the national anthem, a cappella.

But halfway through the anthem, she forgot the words. Flustered, she stopped.

Trail Blazers head coach Maurice Cheeks quickly approached, put his hand on her shoulder, and began singing the anthem. She started singing again -- and thousands in the arena joined in. A difficult moment turned to triumph.

Check it out on YouTube: "Mo Cheeks national anthem." It's an inspiration.

To wrap it up, remind the audience of your big idea -- which is the moral of the story. Maurice Cheeks showed true leadership by asking, "What does this person need to succeed -- and how can I help them?"

Build your next speech around a memorable story. Stories resonate with our collective life experiences. Statistics, charts, and facts don't.

Turn Your Nervous Energy into Performance Energy

Whenever people talk about public speaking, a perennial subject is "how do you deal with nervousness?" As Jerry Seinfeld says, for most people it's easier to be in the coffin than to give the eulogy.

A lot of speakers try to conquer their nervousness by suppressing every kind of energy.

As an executive speech writer for 28 years, I've sat through my share of dress rehearsals for big meetings. One of the most common problems I've seen is speakers with too little energy. Emotionally, they're cruising through their remarks at 15 miles an hour with one foot on the brake.

Their emotions are set on "low." Psychologists call this detachment "lack of affect." Audiences naturally interpret a speaker's low energy as lack of interest in the topic, the audience, and the event. Not good.

Instead of suppressing your nervous energy, let it out. A good speech coach can help you practice turning nervous energy into performance energy.

Tom Peters and Robert McKee are two examples of very successful public speakers who have turned performance energy into an art form.

The first time I saw Tom Peters speak, I sat in the front row -- so I got the full effect. He rants. He bellows. He patrols the stage like an angry wrestler. You get the feeling that this is a man on a mission -- and if you're not buying it, he's coming after you.

Robert McKee has spoken to more than 50,000 people in his Story Seminar on screenwriting. McKee is really passionate. You know he's completely committed to his topic. He shouts. He warns interrupters to shut up. He's angry -- and he lets you know why.

McKee appears as a character, played by Brian Cox, in the movie Adaptation -- as McKee giving his Story Seminar. What's on the screen is the real McKee. He's bombastic, profane, and completely believable. I know; I've taken his course twice.

What's the lesson here?

Successful speakers communicate profound belief in their own messages. They do it with emotion. Don't pull back from your emotions. Move toward them. Use performance energy to win over your audiences.

Using New Media to Leverage Your Speeches and Presentations

Archimedes, the patron saint of leverage, said, "Give me a place to stand and I will move the earth."

When you give a speech, and do it right, you're able to connect with and move the people in that room.

Now, new media give you that huge lever the Archimedes was talking about. You can multiply your audience connection a hundred times, a thousand times, and more.

I've haven't been to TED, the annual, high-profile, technology, education, and design schmoozefest in Monterey. But I feel like I have.

TED has a great website (http://www.ted.com/index.php/) where you can listen to conference speakers. The production values are minimal -- but the content is great. I've listened to 20-minute presentations on creativity (Sir Ken Robinson,) permission marketing (Seth Godin,) and the incredible human brain (Jill Bolte Taylor.)

When I tune in, I am at TED. I'm having the same experience as the live audience.

Start videotaping your speeches. I'm not talking about heavy-duty production costs. You can do it with a couple of good-quality, prosumer camcorders, tripods, and a wireless mic.

When you give a good, solid speech that connects with the audience, you can leverage your speech on your own website, an industry website, or -- if you want to swing for the fences -- perhaps even YouTube.

Archimedes would be surprised to find out his famous lever turns out to be a mini-DV cassette the size of a matchbox.

Public Speaking -- Still the Golden Opportunity to Communicate

The media landscape is changing faster than you can say, "What's the new Facebook?" We're living in an age of incredible media overload -- and it's getting worse. When you dip into television, periodicals, and the Web every day to get information, trends, and breaking news, it's like drinking from a fire hose.

But here's a fact you need to remember. A speech is still about 20 minutes long. This length seems to have settled in as an established cultural norm. It's what audiences expect.

Compared to today's typical audience attention spans, 20 minutes is an eternity. Now, 30-second TV commercials seem long -- and there are more and more 10-second spots. Print advertisers and website owners measure their page views in seconds.

But when you sign on to give a speech, you've got your audience for a good 20 minutes. If you're an interesting and lively speaker, you've got them with no distractions or interruptions.

In addition, your audience usually arrives with a positive outlook. They're on your side. They're rooting for you to succeed -- because they've already made an investment in time and expectations to be there.

But too many executives think of their speeches and presentations as obligations or even burdens. Since when is it a burden to spend 20 minutes, face-to-face, with customers, employees, investors, thought leaders, and other key audiences who are there to listen -- and want you to succeed?

Remember this. Your next 20-minute speech has enormous potential. When you connect with your audience and deliver on their expectations, you own the most valuable real estate on the media map today.

Why Are You Nervous about Giving This Speech?

You've got a speech coming up. And it's making you nervous.

A little nervousness is OK. Public speaking produces anxiety. Virtually every speaker feels this -- and it's normal. Standing in front of an audience -- with hundreds of people staring at you -- produces stress. In the animal kingdom, staring is a highly aggressive behavior. The jitters you feel are your limbic brain talking to you.

But if it's more than that -- and you really have a continuing, uneasy feeling about your speech -- you may be experiencing The Gift of Fear. It’s a provocative idea -- and the title of a bestseller by Gavin de Becker.

In the book, de Becker talks about how potentially dangerous situations send intuitive signals to us. He writes, "You have the gift of a brilliant internal guardian that stands ready to warn you of hazards and guide you through risky situations." And, he continues, we get into big trouble when we rationalize potential problems away.

So, if you really don't feel good about your speech, there's probably something wrong with it. There are lots of ways for a speech to misfire. Wrong tone, wrong message, wrong audience, wrong level of detail.

Your ongoing discomfort may be the gift of fear at work.

How to solve these problems -- or head them off in the first place? One of the big answers is to do a thorough and comprehensive audience analysis.

Before you develop your content, find out who's going to be in the audience. Why are they there? What do they expect you to say? What are their attitudes about you, your organization, and your industry? What are their pain points? What are their aspirations?

Knowing you're in sync with your audience –- by talking about what interests them and what they value -- can help bring you into the comfort zone.

If Audiences Could Talk Back

The public speaking paradigm has been set for a long time. The speaker speaks. The audience listens. It was true for tribal shamans 200 centuries ago; for troubadours 10 centuries ago; for orators a century ago; and for political candidates and CEOs today.

Here's a tasty idea. What if audiences could talk back? What if they had a say in the proceedings? After all, it's their time that's being taken up.

This is what a lot of audiences would probably say to a lot of speakers.
• We don't know who you are -- and, to be perfectly honest, we don't care.
• Don't assume we know anything about your organization.
• Don't read your vision statement, or worse yet, show us an org chart.
• Don't take for granted that we know your mumbo-jumbo acronyms.
• Don't go into mind-numbing detail on things that are minimally interesting -- or not interesting at all.
• Don't act like you're doing us a favor by speaking.

If they could, this is what audiences would ask of speakers.
• Tell us what your organization does and why it matters in our world.
• Tell us interesting stories so we can remember your big ideas.
• Be entertaining.
• When you talk, slow down and take your time. You're not being paid by the word -- or the bullet point.
• Show us your sincerity. Show how all this matters to you.
• Be a real person. Don't leave your humanity at home.
• Deliver the goods. Make your speech worthwhile for us.
• Act like we're doing you a favor by listening -- because we are.

For hundreds of centuries, audiences have for the most part, sat quietly, listened, and endured. When you meet them on their ground, they'll love you.

How to Improve Your Speaking by 50% in One Week

I know. It sounds like one of those "miracle diet" infomercials. But you really can make significant improvements in your speaking in one week.

It's pretty simple. Find three things you do that annoy audiences. And stop doing them.

A great way to spot these audience annoyances is to watch video of yourself giving a speech. (See my previous blog entry, Your Best Speech Coach Is You -- and a Camcorder.)

Make no mistake. Unless you have entered the pantheon of public speaking, you are annoying people.

You may be speaking too fast. This is pretty common -- because adrenaline throws off your timing. What seems like a few seconds to the audience seems like an eternity to the speaker. When you get to the lectern, be silent for a few seconds and take a good look across the audience. Throughout your speech, slow down your delivery. Pause for emphasis.

You may be reading your speech word-for-word. Instead, work from an outline. Be conversational -- and talk your way through the content. Sure, it takes more prep time to do this. When a speaker reads a speech -- head down, plowing ahead -- he or she is saying to the audience, "I'm up here suffering and you should be suffering to."

And then there's PowerPoint. When it's misused -- and that's most of the time -- PowerPoint is one of the most annoying aspects of modern business life. Instead, use visuals to augment what you're saying. Use pictures as exclamation points. Stay away from complex charts and endless bullet points. You can't go wrong with simplify, simplify, simplify.

Find three things you do that annoy audiences. Stop doing them and you'll make a huge jump in your effectiveness as a speaker.

Your Best Speech Coach Is You -- and a Camcorder

When he was mayor of New York City, Ed Koch would routinely ask his constituents, "How am I doing?" It became his catchphrase. He really wanted to know what was working -- and what wasn't.

You should be asking the same question about your public speaking. You're devoting a significant chunk of time to talking to key audiences about important things. So, how are you doing?

Here's a good way to find out. Watch video of you giving a speech. This is the real you -- the way others see you. What you see on the screen is the bare, unvarnished truth that answers the question, "How am I doing?"

Sit in front of the TV screen with the remote and a notepad. When you see or hear something that just isn't right, hit the "stop" button and write down the problem.

Take in everything you do. Does your voice sound natural and conversational? Are you using "fill-in" words? Do you look comfortable? Are you talking to the audience -- or reading to them? Is your content easy to follow? Are you highlighting the main points you want the audience to remember? Are you enthusiastic about your big ideas? Would you spend time listening to a speech given by this person?

Watching yourself with an honest, objective eye is not easy. It's tough to face concrete proof that things are not working. But this is how you'll get better as a speaker.

A camcorder and you will produce the best constructive criticism you'll ever get.

When it comes to criticizing your speech, everyone else -- and I mean everyone -- has an agenda. For example, if someone on your staff gives you a completely honest, straightforward critique of your latest speech, immediately call 911. This person has a death wish and needs urgent medical care.

How are you doing as a speaker? The truth is out there. Watch the tape and learn.

Carry an Extra Script

Let's suppose that, just once in your speaking career, you don't have your script or notes in hand when they introduce you. Let's say that you've traveled halfway across the country -- or halfway around the world to get there. Let's say this is a really important event. And you stand there -- empty-handed. How difficult is that going to be?

These days, can you absolutely depend on your luggage getting to where it's supposed to go? Can you positively guarantee that your briefcase or laptop will never be stolen?

When your speech or presentation is finally done, print out two copies -- and keep them in separate places. Better yet, also put a copy on a USB thumb drive on your key chain.

Think of extra copies of your speech or presentation as an inexpensive, easy insurance policy. You have fire insurance on your house. You also expect that it's not going to burn down. But why take the chance?

One of my favorite smart guys is Peter Guber, hugely successful Hollywood producer and entertainment mogul. He reminds us that 90% of the stuff we worry about will never happen. And the thing that knocks you out? You never see it coming.

When your speech is done, in the print dialog box that says, "number of copies," change "1" to "2." Insurance policy bought and paid for.

Somewhere, at this very moment, there is someone who would kill for that extra copy of their script.

Every Speech Needs a Call to Action

The late Jim Fox said it well. If your speech, presentation, or remarks don't have a call to action, you're missing an opportunity. Jim was David Rockefeller's speechwriter at Chase Manhattan and a past president of PRSA. I had the good fortune to take Jim's advanced speechwriting course twice in the 1980s.

When you think about it, audiences expect senior management to deliver substance and purpose -- whether it's a keynote, a panel discussion, or just informal remarks to a small group. Without a call to action, your speech winds up being just the conveyance of information. That work is below senior management's pay grade.

Your call to action asks for connection and participation. Audiences want to hear this. They want the speaker to care enough about them to ask. And, in the big picture, audience members want to matter by doing something worthwhile.

Inside your organization, employees need to hear a call to action from you every time you speak. When you stand up to speak, you're saying, "I've got the flag. We're on a mission." And your call to action says, in effect, "Follow me."

Jim Fox described the importance of a call to action in even the most modest of speaking opportunities -- such as an executive presenting a service pin to an employee with his or her department looking on.

The usual content centers on the accomplishments of the employee. "We're honoring Bob today for his 25 years of service to the company. As you know, Bob is the go-to-guy when there's a shipping problem. I know he takes a lot of pride in being able to nail shipping problems and fix them fast."

But then the call to action talks to everybody. "Bob's example shows how every one of us can become a "go-to" person -- that individual with the experience and drive it takes to turn a problem into a solution. Your work here is about more than getting a paycheck. It's about using your special talent to do something that matters to all of us."

Every time you speak, give your audience a call to action. They want it. They need it. They're expecting it.

For the Really Big-Deal Speech, You Need an Advance Team

Every once in a while, a really big speech opportunity comes along. You might be getting a prestigious award. You might be speaking to an audience of heavy hitters. Or really important customers. Whatever it is, it's got to be perfect.

For this kind of speech, create an advance team. Have them pull together as much information as possible about the audience, the event, and the venue. Put all of it into a binder.

First, the audience. For every speech, you should do an audience analysis. Who are you speaking to? Why are they there? What do they think of you and your organization? What are they expecting you to talk about? Is this audience friendly, neutral, apathetic, hostile?

For the really big-deal speech, have your advance team do phone interviews with a sample of audience members. They'll tell you things about issues and possible content that you won't get from event organizers. Upfront audience input will help you write the speech.

Second, the event. What's the whole program -- and where do you fit into it? Why is the audience there?

For the really big-deal speech, your advance team should get a minute-by-minute breakdown of the whole event. They should also get scripts or transcripts of what previous speakers have said. Again, phone interviews with audience members can reveal what's worked and what hasn't.

Third, the venue. What is the room like? What's the setup of podium and audience? How about lighting and sound? Your advance team should get detailed descriptions of how you will move from where you park -- to the front door of the building -- to the event room -- and to the lectern. Photos are useful.

You might be saying, "Isn't this overkill? I show up. I give my speech. It's all good."

Not necessarily. One slip up puts you under pressure -- which you don't need. If it's visible to the audience, you look unprepared.

A smooth, professional speech is like a swan gliding across a pond. Above the water line, effortless and serene. Below the water line, webbed feet paddle furiously.

How to Be the Standout Speaker on a Panel

You've been invited to participate in a panel discussion. It's the usual setup. The moderator tees up the topic and introduces the panel. Each speaker gets 10 minutes of opening remarks. And then it's into dialogue and Q&A.

You want to make the strongest, most positive impression on the audience. Here are a couple of steps that can help:

• Think through what big ideas you want to leave with the audience. I'm talking about BIG ideas, with industry-wide and societal meaning -- not just your organization's pitch.

• Be the first to set up a phone meeting with the moderator to talk about structure and content. Sound out the moderator on your big ideas. Moderators are evaluated on how good the overall panel turns out. And they love panelists who prepare thoroughly.

• Google all the other panelists for articles, speeches, and news stories to find out what their usual spiel is. Whatever their frame of reference is, yours should be bigger. Look like a visionary, not a tactician.

• During the pre-event panelist conference call with the moderator, take extensive notes. Record the conversation and listen to it again.

• For your 10 minutes of opening remarks, set your thinking apart from the others by introducing your own original slant.

• Put together a closing statement that summarizes your big ideas -- and work it in near the end of the Q&A.

Remember the joke about the two hikers and the bear. One of them puts on running shoes and says to the other, "I don't have to be faster than the bear -- just faster than you."

The Ultimate Litmus Test -- Listen to Your Speech Read Aloud

A natural question during your script preparation process is, "How is this going to come across to the audience?"

A crucial part of the answer will come from hearing your speech read aloud -- from top to bottom. That's how the audience is going to receive it. If it's not working as spoken communication, it's not working.

When you hear your script read aloud, you become a member of the audience. You get what they're going to get.

Too often, this reading aloud step happens late in the process – such as the dress rehearsal the day before the actual speech. That's a mistake. You need to start hearing your content early on, in the preliminary drafts, when you still have time to fix problems.

Have someone else read your script into a recorder. Then listen to it later. Don't read it yourself. Nearly everyone is surprised and distracted by the results. "That doesn't sound like me," is a pretty common reaction -- formed against all reason.

Another "put yourself in the audience" tool is text-to-speech software. Copy your script into the program and, voila, it speaks your words. Add a text-to-speech plug-in like AT&T Natural Voices for more realistic results.

Every day, you read thousands of words -- in business communications, newspapers, books, and on the Web. They're written for the eye -- and that's the way you receive them.

A speech is a completely different animal. It needs to be written for the ears of your audience. Different channel, different rules.

Hearing your speech read aloud turns on a different part of your brain. It's the one your audience will be using when they listen to you.

Be the Tour Guide for Your Own Speech

One of the gripes I hear is that audiences get lost during speeches and presentations. Speakers often briskly zip along through their content -- rattling off anecdotes, giving examples, citing statistics, and quoting experts.

Meanwhile, the audience is floundering. They've lost the thread of meaning. The speaker's content -- which may be excellent -- has overpowered the audience's ability to fit it all into a big picture.

The sad truth is that, when the audience gets lost, you're talking to yourself.

As a speaker, you really have two roles. The first is to deliver content in compelling, lively, interesting ways. The second is to guide your audience through your content so they always know where they are.

Think of yourself as the exhibit tour guide for your own speech.

Upfront, tell the audience what they're going to see and hear -- and why it matters. "Today I want to talk about innovation. I'm convinced that innovation is the big power play of the 21st century. It's not about cutting up the pie -- it's about making it bigger."

Next, move along to your first big point. "Let's look at why innovation is going to be so potent. In the past several decades, a lot of foundations have been built. For example, computers and the Internet are everywhere. The human genome has been decoded. Brain imaging has dramatically improved."

Keep directing the audience throughout your speech. "Now that we've looked at the foundations, let's turn to what engineers, scientists, and entrepreneurs are building on these foundations. Case in point -- biochemists are developing drugs to target specific genes that cause disease."

The more complex your material, the more you need to be an active tour guide -- leading your audience through every turn.

Take Your Audience to the Top of the Pyramid of Meaning

As a speaker, you want your audience to really buy into your messages. This is a tough job. They're not going to believe and trust just because you're saying it.

Audiences are instinctively skeptical. They're from Missouri. Their attitude is, "Show me. Make your case and prove it."

To close the deal, you need to give your audience a whole hierarchy of content. Think of it as a pyramid of meaning.

The four layers of the pyramid are data, information, knowledge, and wisdom.

Each layer is important. But you need to take your audience to the top -- all the way to wisdom. That's where you get solid buy-in.

Here's an example of the pyramid in action. The topic is the next generation DVD format -- and the competition between HD-DVD and Blu-Ray.

At the bottom of the pyramid is data.

(Example) HD-DVD capacity = 30 gigabytes. Blu-Ray capacity = 50 gigabytes.

Specific facts and figures -- but what do they mean?

The next layer up the pyramid is information.

(Example) DVD duplicators can use their existing production equipment to make HD-DVD disks. Blu-Ray disks need an entirely new manufacturing process.

Now we're getting somewhere. This information tells us about capital costs, barriers-to-entry and time-to-market.

The third layer of the pyramid is knowledge.

(Example) Format wars have been around a long time. George Westinghouse’s alternating current beat out Edison’s direct current a century ago. 25 years ago, VHS buried Sony's Betamax videocassette format.

Knowledge gives your audience perspective. You've added depth and substance to your data and information.

At the top of the pyramid is wisdom.

(Example) Protracted format wars usually have more to do with corporate machismo than sound business sense.

Now you’re into things that everybody understands. You're talking about human nature -- the big levers that control behavior.

Data and information are everywhere. Knowledge is a little tougher to come by. But wisdom is rare and valuable. People pay for wisdom.

Take your audience to the top of the pyramid of meaning. Give them pearls of wisdom.

How to “Sell” a Quotation

Your speech can get a boost by using strong, appropriate quotations. They build credibility. You're importing the wisdom of the ages into your flow of ideas.

And now the Internet is a great resource for quotations. It's bigger, faster, and better than Bartlett's.

Once you have that great quotation, you need to make it stand out in your speech. The conventional set-up is the "quote -- -- unquote" technique. It’s OK but it's clunky.

Here's a quotation delivery technique that works really well. It's a mini piece of stagecraft used by Winston Churchill.

First a little background. Of course, Churchill was a superb speechwriter. He labored over his speeches for many days. And he read each of them verbatim from a script. Because he was so extraordinary at delivery, his speeches don't come across as "Winston is reading a script."

Here's how Churchill would "sell" a quotation. When he got to the quote, he would pause. Then he would pick up the script page so that it was in full view of the audience. He would then look directly at the page and read the quote. Another pause. And then he would put down the script page and continue.

It's a simple technique that you can easily use. It does two things really well. First, the Churchill technique uses stagecraft to draw the audience’s attention to the quote. Second, it supports the illusion that you're not reading a script.

Inside every great speaker, there's an actor. Churchill knew this -- and he used this acting technique in the service of compelling speech making.

Data Dumps -- When Good People Make Bad Presentations

We've all suffered through data dump presentations. We sit in the audience, drowning in an ocean of facts and figures -- with not a drop of perspective or insight to be found.

Data dump presenters sincerely believe they're doing the right thing. Because they love data. I'm talking about people like engineers and accountants -- those among us who live, sleep, and breathe data. And you know what? Their love of data is sincere -- and very appropriate.

Would you ride on a airplane engineered by people who said, "Let's not waste time with a lot of calculations and structural testing. This fuel tank design just feels right to us."

Would you go into an IRS tax audit with an accountant who said, "Recheck the numbers? Why would I do that? My gut tells me this is all going to work out."

We need these wonderful people who love their data so much. We bet our lives on their being accurate, complete, and correct.

But when data dumpers speak, they do what comes naturally. And the results are often dreadful. What to do?

Tell them about The Data Dump Paradox. The data dump structure is most cruel to the people in your audience who care the most about your topic and your content.

It's as if the data dumper says, "I have the gift for you. It's the world's greatest laptop -- lightweight, brilliant screen, longest-battery life, coolest looking. There's only one catch. What you actually get is a box of 200 parts -- and no instructions. Good luck."

Data dumps happen because a commendable quality – the passionate love of facts and figures -- turns ugly when the end product is a presentation.

Breaking in a New Speechwriter

Executives dread breaking in a new speechwriter. It's not just building a new working relationship. It's really a mini training course in how you think, how you express ideas, and how you like to work. And the toughest part is that you can't delegate it to someone else.

Here are a couple of ideas that might help. Instead of immediately throwing the new writer into your latest project, how about setting aside a few days just for content orientation? Your new speechwriter can absorb the last several annual reports, analyst reports, media coverage, competitive analyses, and a broad range of your prior speeches.

A one-on-one discussion between client and speechwriter about working style can be very helpful. Decades ago, my first, full-time speechwriting client had the foresight to sit with me for several hours to talk about how he liked to work.

We discussed the work process behind prior drafts and finished scripts. He talked in detail about the progression from outline to completed script. With prior speechwriters, he had refined a page format and font style and size that worked for him. All in all, it was a great way to start our three years of working together.

Getting the speaker’s voice is probably the most crucial part of speechwriter break-in. For the new speechwriter, there's nothing more useful than watching video of you speak. And the most useful parts of these videos are the Q&A. This is where the speechwriter hears the real, unfiltered you.

Q&A is the mother lode of information about you as a speaker. The new speechwriter will hear how you express ideas. He or she will see how your personality comes through in what you say and how you say it.

A small investment of your time during new speechwriter break-in can yield big returns.

Why Public Speaking Is So Important to Your Organization and Your Career

Leaders are defined by their ability to educate, persuade, and motivate people. Successful leaders get people to believe -- and turn those beliefs into actions.

One of the best ways to build belief is face-to-face -- during a speech. The physical reality is that you are talking to lots of people -- hundreds or thousands.

But, when you do it right, the emotional reality for each member of your audience is that you are talking directly to them. This strong, personal connection is the beginning of building belief.

When you give that persuasive, memorable speech, magical things happen.

• You will automatically stand out among a vast sea of lackluster, under-prepared, uninvolved speakers.

• Your audience will be so grateful. You've justified their investment of time and energy.

• Your ideas will stick in the minds of your audience. What's that worth in today's media-saturated world? It's huge.

• Your own people will swell with pride. Your well-received speech justifies their commitment to your organization. It pumps them up.

• You will feel really great.

Being a compelling, successful public speaker is a very potent leadership skill.

You Need a Big Idea -- But You Also Need To Bring It Home for Your Audience

Every good speech needs to do two things. First, deliver a big idea. Second, make it real for your audience.

Without a strong, memorable big idea, your speech is just a collection of stuff -- data, examples, stories, quotes, etc.

Your audience needs a big idea to give the whole thing coherence. This is what audiences are looking for -- that common theme that helps them understand, evaluate, and believe what you're saying.

But the big idea is just the first part. Beware the lofty idea that doesn't touch the ground at any point. To the audience, it sounds like a distant, intangible theory that doesn't really apply to them. Interesting, maybe. But not memorable.

The second part of the successful speech is bringing your big idea home for the audience. Show them how the big idea applies to them. Park it in their front yard.

Let's say your big idea is globalization. "The global economy is changing the game everywhere. Globalization is leveling the playing field for smart, motivated people in Bangalore, Prague, and Shanghai. It's giving everyone access to the global market."

Now you need to bring it home. "But globalization is not some far off, abstract idea. Right here in your town -- less than a mile from this room -- a midsized architectural firm is designing upscale housing complexes for developers in China. A decade ago, this architectural firm's world stretched to 100 miles from here. Now, their new world is the world."

Big ideas can be powerful. When they're immediate and tangible for your audience, they become memorable.