Eamonn OBrien - How to Make Powerful Speeches: A Step-by-Step Guide to Inspiring and Memorable Speeches

How to Make Powerful Speeches:

A Step-by-Step Guide to Inspiring and Memorable Speeches

Eamonn OBrien

Copyright

Copyright 2014, 2015 Eamonn OBrien

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other non-commercial uses permitted by copyright law.

While best efforts have been used in creating this book, neither the author nor the publisher make any representations or warranties regarding the accuracy or completeness of the information in this book and they specifically disclaim any liabilities or implied warranties for any loss or damages caused or alleged to be caused by following advice or using information found within this book. The contents of this book are for informational purposes only.

ISBN 978-0-9928164-6-9

Published in 2014, 2015 by The Reluctant Speakers Club

64 Lower Mount Street
Dublin 2, Ireland

www.thereluctantspeakersclub.com

For permission or bulk purchase inquiries, please email publishing@thersc.ie

To Mindy, Conor and Meg

Introduction

Picture the scene. A large crowd has assembled and is mostly settled. Theres a hush as the master of ceremonies prepares to make your introduction. Youre about to step out in front of all these people and speak.

Just imagine knowing how to address any audience, no matter how large or important, with no fear and no trace of overconfidence as you share messages that inspire others into action.

I can still remember the early 1990s when I was asked to speak in front of my first mega crowd in a telecom PLC in the USA. I use the term asked very loosely you understand, the actual conversation went roughly like this:

Boss:
Great news. I got you a spot at the All Hands in Phoenix.

Me:
Sounds good. Whats that and wholl be there?

Boss:
Oh, its an annual strategy session for all our senior people. Should be maybe 700 to 800 there you know, the usual suspects: directors, VPs and most of the senior managers. Theyll love you and your Irish brogue.

At this point, the penny dropped and I was stunned...

Me:
So when you mentioned a spot for me, you meant a spot as in the standing-up-and-talking-to-the-crowd variety?

Boss:
Of course. Its a great chance for you to tell everyone all about that ethnic marketing stuff you know so much about. Go and drum up more support for your advertising campaigns.

Now I was speechless.

Boss:
Oh, and one more thing Youll be on just before the CEO speaks, so make sure you dont let the side down, OK?

No pressure then!

But I didnt crumble, and the reason was simple. During the previous year I had been fortunate enough to learn some essential public speaking skills from a most inspirational man, the late Professor Marty Stoller at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. I set about figuring out how to apply and adapt my learning to make it work at such an important event. I also put in the hard work to prepare myself, practising like blazes long before I got anywhere near that podium.

On the day, my talk was low on detail and big on show dont tell examples of why speaking to an audience in their own language could make a difference. I included a story about Eva, an 84-year-old Russian woman and Auschwitz survivor, who had become so talked about in MCIs call centres. Anna, her 60-year-old daughter, had rung one of our call centres in a highly agitated state.

My mother is going to die if I cant sign her up for your cheap calls to Russia, right now, she said.

You might think that this woman was exaggerating. She wasnt. It turned out that her mother Eva had a heart attack and needed immediate surgery. But she was refusing to have this vital job done. And all for a phone deal! She was going nowhere until she could hear from her daughter that she had qualified for cheap calls to her one remaining sister back in Russia. She was willing to risk life and limb for an emotional connection with a loved one.

As I told this and other stories, I could see my audience visibly becoming more and more engaged. And as they became more relaxed, so did I. Gone were any fears I may have had about things that might go wrong I just enjoyed being with the audience and bringing to life messages that could inspire action after I sat down.

When I finished speaking I was delighted to be treated to rapturous applause, beaming smiles, hollers and even a stray wolf whistle. But if I was elated by the reaction of the audience, I was even more boosted by what happened next. Directly after me, the CEO started her address with the words:

So, great who decided to put me on after Conan OBriens Irish cousin? How the hell do I follow that?

Did I feel great? You bet! But it turned out that this was only the start. That one speech gave me instant companywide credibility. I was now recognised as a go to person and expert on cross-cultural marketing. This was then followed in short order by request after request for me to speak at company and external events all over America. This singular set of skills had done more to boost my visibility and personal brand in less than 20 minutes than I could have achieved otherwise in the normal course of events.

Were it not for a quirk of fate when I met Marty, I would never know how learning to speak well in public could really boost both a person and their career. I didnt just learn to speak in public, I discovered skills that allowed me to truly engage audiences, and I learned to conquer fear with confidence. Since then, I have had the privilege of being able to apply and add to these skills both as a speaker and as a coach, in many industries, continents and situations spanning more than twenty years.

Through this book, I look forward to sharing many tools, techniques and approaches Ive already shared with thousands of clients at The Reluctant Speakers Club. Now you too can learn the art of persuasive public speaking, and these skills have never been more important.

Everyone in business with a level of responsibility and authority relies on the spoken word to communicate messages and get things done. Whatever audience you would like to influence, this step-by-step guide will help you to speak in public with a greater degree of clarity, persuasiveness and confidence. It can help you to banish your fears of the podium.

Whether you are a new or experienced speaker, you will learn how to connect with an audience, construct arguments, and give talks for maximum impact and persuasion. If you need to regularly, or even occasionally, stand in front of others and inspire them through your words, this book is for you.

Whats in the book?

If you follow the steps in this book, youll gain the tools to consistently create and deliver more engaging speeches. Part 1 focuses on why you need to develop and hone public speaking skills. Part 2 is about assembling vital foundations. You will discover essential and ancient secrets to set your speeches up for greater impact. Youll learn what it takes to create a persuasive talk and find out what you need before you start to compose a speech. The three building blocks that underpin a speech, namely, audience analysis, relevance and credibility, are also discussed in detail.