“The success of your presentation will be judged not by the knowledge you send but by what the listener receives.”
–Lilly Walters, author
Being an inspirational speaker isn’t easy. It takes immense patience, practice, and persistence. But once you’ve uncovered the secret sauce to inspirational communication, your audiences will remember your words long after they depart. And thanks to a recent visit from global business leader Eva McLellan, we now have the ingredients for this top-secret recipe. 🤫
As the Head of Business Strategy, Transformation, and Innovation at Roche, Eva knows that presenting in front of hundreds of spectators can be daunting. Even small groups can be tough to conquer! Inspirational communication is a craft that took her years to master. Lucky for us, she was happy to spill her favorite tips in Episode 16 of Think Deeply, Speak simply—Inspirational Communication.
Here are two of Eva’s most impactful recommendations for becoming a more impactful communicator.
Love your audience
If you aren’t enthusiastic about the topic of your presentation, neither will your audience. After all, if you don’t inspire yourself and don’t feel moved by the information, your listeners are sure to mentally check out the moment you start speaking.
Instead, love who you’re speaking to and love what you’re speaking about. Find a unique point of view on your topic that moves and excites you. This will help the inspiration flow naturally and fuel your audience to listen. Be patient and tap into your inner teacher. Remember, just because you’re an expert on the conversation doesn’t mean your audience is too! Speak simply and clearly at all times, taking special care to distill the information into digestible chunks.
Break through the noise
If you’re struggling to distinguish when to be inspirational or informative, pause to remind yourself that there’s never a time to not be inspirational. Even reading numbers off of a chart should feel exciting and engaging to your audience. If your audience starts yawning throughout your business presentation, find new formats, and strategies to speak to them. It’s never too late to recapture their attention.
Keep in mind that your audience is always paying attention to two conversations at once. The first conversation is the one where they’re listening to you speak. The second is their inner dialogue with themselves, processing the information you’re feeding them while simultaneously being distracted by their own thoughts. You need to be inspiring enough to cut through this noise and dominate both conversations. Time is precious so don’t waste it. Jump straight into how the core message of your presentation is valuable and useful to them right from the beginning.
