Secrets to Making a Great Speech

Excerpts from the book "Talk Like TED"

"The 9 public-speaking secrets of the world's top minds"

At Employee Field Day 2021, I picked up the book "Talk Like Ted" from the book exchange. While most of us aren't giving "speeches" we do a lot of public speaking throughout much of our workday when communicating with visitors and staff. Think back to the last program or lesson you taught or a long conversation with a visitor exlaining something about the park or the environment and see how your talking points compared to the ideas below.

The book details the author's impression of what some of the best speakers in the world have in common and what makes a good TED Talk so riveting. The author, Carmine Gallo, studied 50 of the most viewed TED Talks to come up with his conclusions. I will give you the cliff notes version of the book here; but, if anyone would like to read the book let me know and I will pass it off to you.

There are three main goals when developing a speech. It should be emotional, novel, and memorable.

1. Emotional

When appealing to the audiences emotions you have three ideas to keep in mind - finding your passion, the storytelling art, and have a conversation. 

Whatever your speech is about try to really get to the heart of what makes you passionate about the subject. "What makes your heart sing" as the book states. If you are having trouble with this concept the following TED Talk is a great example of someone displaying their passion.

The next component is to tell a story. Gallo says stories plant ideas and emotions into a listener's brain." There are three simple, effective types of stories: personal stories, stories about others, and stories about brand success. Your stories should aim to "illustrate, illuminate, and inspire."

The third idea is to practice your speech to the point that it sounds as natural and easy flowing as if you were having a conversation with someone. Gallo advises speakers to "practice relentlessly and internalize your content so that you can deliver the presentation as comfortably as having a conversation with a close friend." To do so you can focus on the four elements of verbal delivery: rate, volume, pitch and pauses, using gestures effectively; and avoiding distracting body language like fidgeting or standing rigidly in place, hands in pockets.

A great way to explain Leave No Trace principals is to appeal to people's emotions. Get them to think about why they love their parks and what they can do to take care of them.

2. Novel

Teach people something new, jaw dropping moments, and lighten up are the next three ideas.

In order to teach people something new Gallo says, "an unfamiliar, unusual, or unexpected element in a presentation intrigues the audience, jolts them out of their preconceived notions, and quickly gives them a new way of looking at the world."

Which leads to the next idea of delivering jaw dropping moments. Offering a surprising fact or a perspective that no one in the audience has considered before could make all the difference in creating a memorable speech. 

Finally, lighten up your speech. Gallo reminds speech writers to not take their task too seriously. People love humor and if it is appropriate to your message a bit of humor can help lower the audiences defenses. Adding a little humor to a safety talk when starting a maintenance project could help lighten the mood and help people to remember to stay safe so they can stay happy.

3. Memorable

Keep in mind these last three suggestions to make you speech memorable: sticking to the 18 minute rule, paint a mental picture with multisensory experiences, and stay in your lane.

Researchers have found that past 18 minutes the mind has absorbed too much information to retain it; therefore, keep your talk to 18 minutes or less. This leaves time for about 3 supported ideas or themes. 

Brainstorm ways you can create a multisensory experience such as by using pictures or props. Whatever you do, avoid creating wordy PowerPoint presentations. 

Remember that when giving a talk, presentation, or speech people are watching what you do as well as what you say so always remember to be authentic, open, and transparent in your presentations. When answering phones or working the contact station if you can give someone a memorable tidbit of information they might really take something away from their visit at the park.

Below is a picture showing a summarized version of the lessons learned in this book. Ethos, Pathos, and Logos are alternative words which refer to a lot of the same ideas Gallo presents in his book. 

Let us know in the comments below if you have used any of these strategies in the past and how they worked for you.