How can you select the perfect public speaking style?

1 Know your goal

The first step to choosing your public speaking style is to clarify your goal. What do you want to achieve with your speech? Do you want to inform, persuade, entertain, inspire, or motivate your listeners? Your goal will determine the tone, structure, and content of your speech. For example, if you want to inform, you may use a more formal and factual style, while if you want to entertain, you may use a more humorous and anecdotal style.

2 Know your audience

The second step to choosing your public speaking style is to analyze your audience. Who are they? What are their needs, interests, expectations, and preferences? How can you connect with them and appeal to their emotions and logic? Your audience will influence the language, examples, stories, and visuals you use in your speech. For example, if you are speaking to a young and tech-savvy audience, you may use more slang, jargon, and multimedia, while if you are speaking to an older and conservative audience, you may use more formal, respectful, and traditional expressions.

3 Know your personality

The third step to choosing your public speaking style is to embrace your personality. What are your strengths, weaknesses, values, and passions? How can you express yourself authentically and confidently? Your personality will shape the voice, tone, and delivery of your speech. For example, if you are an introvert, you may prefer a more calm and thoughtful style, while if you are an extrovert, you may prefer a more energetic and spontaneous style.

4 Know your options

The fourth step to choosing your public speaking style is to explore your options. From storytellers utilizing stories, anecdotes, and metaphors to engage the audience and illustrate main points, to teachers using facts, data, and logic to educate the audience and explain concepts, there are many different public speaking styles you can learn from and adapt to your own situation. Coaches employ questions, challenges, and feedback to empower the audience and help them achieve their goals. Meanwhile, entertainers use humor, wit, and charisma to amuse the audience. Finally, visionaries use vision, values, and inspiration to motivate the audience and make them dream.

5 Know your context

The fifth step to choosing your public speaking style is to consider your context. What is the occasion, venue, format, and duration of your speech? How formal or informal is the setting? How much time and resources do you have to prepare and practice? Your context will affect the level of detail, complexity, and creativity of your speech. For example, if you are giving a TED talk, you may use a more concise, innovative, and impactful style, while if you are giving a lecture, you may use a more comprehensive, analytical, and informative style.

6 Know your feedback

The sixth and final step to choosing your public speaking style is to seek and use feedback. How do you know if your style is working or not? How can you improve and refine your skills? Feedback is key to understanding your effectiveness and recognizing areas of improvement. You can obtain feedback from yourself by recording, watching, and evaluating your own performance, noting your strengths and weaknesses. Additionally, you can gauge the reactions, questions, and comments of your audience by observing, listening, and interacting with them. Moreover, you can ask for and give feedback to your fellow speakers, learning from their experiences, tips, and suggestions.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?