Updated on July 5, 2024
For many people, public speaking can be scary. Are you one of them having stage fear and other problems in public speaking? Find 5 common traits of the best public speakers. These traits are helpful to learn how to grow your public speaking skills and be equipped for your next time on stage.
5 Common Traits Of The Best Public Speakers
Public speaking can be scary so scary. In fact that it’s ranked number one on the list of America’s biggest fears. That’s why it’s so impressive when we come across those who are incredible speakers. We know that people who are great speakers have the level of knowledge and expertise that is required to speak well. But what other qualities do they have that make their presentation so great?
Here’s a list of the 5 most important traits that all the best public speakers have in common. Use these traits as a foundation to build upon and encourage your growth as a public speaker.
1. Good Listening Skills – Traits Of The Best Public Speakers
The first trait to have is good listening skills. In order to speak well, you must first learn to listen. You cannot expect others to listen to you if you don’t listen to them, after all. Listen to the speeches of others and watch how they communicate to captivate their audiences. Listen to what your audience struggles with, what they need your help with, and what they hope to learn from you. Your ability to listen to things like this will also help you to adapt to and understand what it is the audience is looking for even if they don’t tell you. At the end of the day, you want to make sure people listen to your message and the best way to do this is to listen to what they want to hear.
2. Willingness To Learn – Traits Of The Best Public Speakers
The second trait to have to succeed as a public speaker is a willingness to learn. Being a good public speaker means keeping an open mind while listening and always being willing to learn something new. The world is always changing, with new information being churned out at an incredibly rapid pace. Great public speakers are able to keep up with this new information and adapt their talks to it as dated views and opinions can keep even the smartest minds in the dark. As much as you may already know there’s always more to learn and listen to. Keeping up to date on current events will allow you to find new ways to relate to your audience. You may even become a source of information for them, establishing yourself is even more of an expert. You Should Never Stop Learning
3. Be Creative – Traits Of The Best Public Speakers
Trait number three to adopt in order to be a successful public speaker is to be creative. Being an articulate industry expert is a great starting point for being a great public speaker, but that’s just what it is a starting point. In a world saturated with smart people you might find a way to shine through and be memorable. Use your innate imagination and creativity to stand out from the crowd. We’ve all seen speeches that have left an everlasting impression in our minds. Maybe it’s the way they delivered the story, maybe it’s how they kept you on the edge of your seat the entire time. There are many ways to be creative when conveying your message to an audience that will keep them interested during and even well after your speech. Consider interesting analogies and dialogue you could include in your speech that will set it apart from the rest incorporating humor or using helpful visuals to supplement your talk. Your knowledge and expertise may help you create a great speech, but your creativity will help you give a speech people will remember.
4. Sense Of Humor – Traits Of The Best Public Speakers
The fourth common trait of the best public speakers is a sense of humor. As mentioned before, having a sense of humor is one of the best ways you can utilize your creativity. For example let’s say you make a mistake while giving a speech. It can be a terrifying moment one that might be hard to recover from. You get anxious, lose your train of thought, and panic. The audience notices and gets tense. The mood is shifted. How can you avoid that? Utilize your sense of humor. Allow your personality to shine through. It’s okay to be nervous and mess up. It’s human. If you can learn to laugh at yourself in a moment like that, you’ll appear much more relatable to your audience. Crack a joke, poke fun at yourself, and watch as the tension eases away, then move on with the rest of your talk. Additionally incorporating humor in your speech is a great way to create a memorable moment. Making the audience laugh will create a sense of camaradery and relatability. You don’t have to be serious all the time in order to be taken seriously.
5. Confidence – Traits Of The Best Public Speakers
Finally, the fifth trait the best public speakers have in common is confidence. What any great public speaker will tell you and what you can personally witness when watching a great speech is how important it is to be confident. Truthfully speaking, that’s the only way your words will stick. You can be the smartest, funniest, or most creative person in the room, but if you don’t have the confidence to speak up and share those insights jokes or ideas, you won’t be heard. As the expert, the audience should be able to trust what you have to say. So if you don’t sound sure what you’re saying, the audience definitely won’t. To succeed as a public speaker focus on building up your confidence and not letting your fears get the best of you. Learn Powerful Tips To Boost Self-Confidence
- How To Sound More Confident Even If You Are Not Confident?
- How To Increase Confidence And Make Life Awesome?
Some exercises that can help build confidence are to practice your speech in front of the mirror and in front of friends and to pre-empt and practice dealing with any scenario that could arise. The more comfortable you feel, even in unsure situations, the more your confidence will grow.
Read 5 Body Language Secrets – Be Confident In Any Situation
Credits: YouTube Brian Tracy
Five Traits of The Best Public Speakers | Brian Tracy
Do you have glossophobia, stage fear or the fear of public speaking? You can easily overcome stage fear and nervousness while delivering presentations or public speaking. Do you know how Rinku Sawhney overcame the fear of public speaking and turned her life into success?
Public speaking doesn’t mean addressing a huge gathering of people. Many people fear speaking in a meeting of 10/15 people in their office. Some of them start speaking well, but when someone in the meeting asks a question or clarification, the speaker feels nervous and unable to reply. As mentioned, one of the main reasons is a lack of self-confidence.
Conclusion
What did you learn from the above? Listening skill is very important to become successful in public speaking and success in life. You must listen to others and never interrupt them when they speak. When you are listening to others, you are proving your respect for them. Even though you are well qualified and have good public speaking skills, you should not stop learning. Always try to learn something new. Be creative in your speech. People should attract your creativity. Crack jokes and make people laugh. Laughing is the best medicine for good health and a cheerful mind. Always have confidence in yourself. Never stop believing in yourself even for a second. Your talk full of confidence will surely attract the audience.
Recommended for further reading
- Why Speaking With Candour Is Important For Success
- Body Language Tricks To Impress Anyone – Improve Communication Skills
- How To Develop Effective Communication Skills With These Simple Tips
Do you want to be a great public speaker? Do you want to inspire audiences all over the world with your message?
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Mathukutty P. V. is the founder of Simply Life Tips, a blogger, content writer, influencer, and YouTuber passionate about learning and sharing. Guided by “Simple Living, Creative Thinking,” he believes in the power of knowledge sharing and lifelong learning.