7 habits of highly successful speakers

Do you ever wonder what makes some speakers so successful? Have you ever been in awe of a speaker and pondered, “How did she do that?”

The answer is through a lot of work.

There are some people who are naturally gifted at speaking, but most of us have to work really hard at it.

My first speech was the stuff of horror movies. As a nerdy, awkward and shy teenager, I was forced to take a public speaking class in high school. My crush was in my class, too. No pressure, right?

My knees were knocking, my hands were sweaty, and I speed read my speech without eye contact. I sat down before I uttered the last word.

I got a C. It was clearly a pity C.

But, I got better through speaking more and observing the habits of successful speakers.

Habit 1: Have a clear goal for your presentation.

The headline of this post rips off Stephen Covey, and one of the most effective habits of presentations is inspired by him: “Begin with the end in mind.” Ask yourself, “What’s my presentation’s destination?” You need a clear goal for your presentation. You need one goal for what you want your audience to know, feel or do immediately after the presentation.