When I first started publishing, I asked a seasoned professional what the very best way to sell books was. Her answer? Speaking. For those of you who are building your platform, and part of that platform involves speaking, here are 7 traits I’ve found that differentiate good speakers from the pack.
One. They are responsive.
When you call or email a great speaker, they or the person representing them respond quickly and joyfully. They answer queries in a timely fashion, and are not bothered by details.
Two. They love the craft of speaking.
Great speakers further their craft. They spend time honing their abilities either by speaking a lot (speaking is like a muscle; it must be worked) or by pursuing further training. They prepare well, and are open to your feedback about the audience, your goals, and your hopes for the event.
Three. They are interested in relationships.
Great speakers care about people, and they start demonstrating that the moment they begin interacting with you. They value you, ask great questions, and have a strong desire to know who they will be speaking to. At the event, a great speaker mingles with others, eats with participants, and seeks to listen.
Four. They stay.
When a great speaker is not speaking, he/she is open to interacting with others. They are willing to stay back and pray for someone who is struggling. They are not in a hurry to retreat to their room, cloistered from others. There is not a huge line between the speaker and the audience. He/she sets the audience at ease.
Five. They are open to creating fresh content.
New content is something that excites great speakers. They are willing to tailor-make talks to best suit your needs. This doesn’t mean they continually re-invent content. They pull from their repertoire to create a unique event, yet they are still willing to craft a new talk that suits your needs.
Six. They are easy to work with.
Great speakers are not demanding. They are not prima-donnas with extensive lists of must-haves, specific room-temperatures, and extensive food requests. They are grateful, joyful, and happy to accommodate.
Seven. They pray.
Great speakers pray about the events they will do. They pray with you; they ask for prayer, and they pray before and during the event. They may even offer to pray for attendees. They understand that anything significant that happens in an event points back to prayer and God’s great power.
Q4U: What differentiates a great speaker?
Not So Fast
I did some public speaking;
t’was, kindly put, the pits,
and sent my listeners a-shrieking
for the nearest fire exits.
It’s not that speaking voice was muddled,
with the vagueness that evokes;
no, poor audience was befuddled
by my really awful jokes
that poked fun at everything
but in an esoteric way
that never ever seemed to bring
the punchline on the selfsame day,
so I, upon my own behalf,
raised a sign extolling ‘LAUGH!’
Always appreciate your poetic responses!
Mary, the speaker that you described here is someone that I would love to get to know! It reminds me of the many wonderful camp speakers that we work with all summer long. When we look for speakers, we are searching not just for someone who can hold the attention of kids, but someone who will spend the week here at camp, getting to know everyone, doing some of the games, and pouring out themselves for the young ones who have been entrusted to our care. I hadn’t really thought that event speakers had much in common to camp speakers, because camp speakers are so involved in the lives of those they are speaking to. But your blog makes me see that it doesn’t have to be that way. That speaking doesn’t have to be a cold performance, that it can be community.
That’s certainly my hope and prayer–that speakers will engage. It is always a privilege to have a microphone, but the true point is to minister to those in your path, whether you’re on stage or not.
A great speaker doesn’t put me to sleep and they can handle interruptions well. They can have me laughing one minute and crying the next. When they finish, I should have the feeling that I’m closing a beloved novel. But more importantly to me, a great speaker is real and willing to risk being vulnerable.
I love all of these, especially “closing a beloved novel.”
I also value a speaker who can roll with whatever happens.
I always ‘worked the crowd’ before hand.
Made sure voice, posture,graphics up to the job(mechanics).
Know material cold.
Be on your toes, attuned,
Flexible.
Natural & poised. Pray.
Great speakers are transparent and share vulnerably (but appropriately). Great speakers engage audiences with Scripture and help them see the Bible as relevant and insightful. The greatest speakers communicate with God-given charisma, passion and hope.
All this is spot on, Nancy. Thanks for sharing.
Mary, what a great list! I have a list of qualities an event planner wants in my book, “The Ultimate Speaker’s Guide.” Some of the traits I discuss include: 1) Integrity. 2) Life graduate. 3) Alert to ministry opportunities. 4) Riveting. 5) Honor time limits. 6) Aware of audience. 7) Teacher. 8) Flexibility. 9) Restraint. 10) Reliability. 11) Make the event planner look good. 12) Return on investment. I elaborate on all of those more in the book, but I thought I’d pick one to share in entirety here: 13) Humorous delivery. Even if the subject matter is serious, there’s usually an opportunity to add some lighthearted moments to the program without disrespecting the content. Humor is like loosening your belt an extra notch after overeating—it allows space for all the good material the audience has consumed during the program.
Yes, I so agree about humor! Especially in today’s crazy climate.
I want a speaker to be excited about their topic. It’s hard for me to get excited if they’re not.
That’s a really good point.
Thank you for this timely list! I am building my platform with some speaking engagements this year and these are all good things to keep in mind as I am facing a real learning curve. I’ve been lay reading in church as a way to get some practice in, but hope my passion for what I write will help when I tell others about my writing journey.
Godspeed on yourjourney!