How can you use positive psychology to improve your speeches?

This is one of my FAVORITE tools and something I use regularly with the teams and leaders I work with. My top character strengths play into not only how I deliver but I also how I prepare a speech. My top strengths are Creativity, Spirituality, Love of Learning, Curiosity, Perspective, Honesty Judgment / Critical Thinking. I use those strengths to prepare by being thorough in my initial call with a client. I learn as much as I can about them, the audience, their pain points, and their goals, so I can be as relevant as possible with the examples I share. On stage, I show up with vulnerability (honesty) and offer perspective shifts that positively provoke people to be curious about themselves and make brave changes in their lives.

I would place Honesty and Humour at the Forefront of Positive Psychology in Public speaking. When you are Honest, you are keeping it 💯 Real and the audience connects with this level of Authenticity. Humour - not only the ability to bring humorous anecdotes, but also the ability to laugh at yourself. Look at yourself objectively and find Humour in past mistakes that you creatively turned into an Ah-ha moment. Creativity comes into play when you are able to sense when the energy in the room begins to fade, and you are able to generate positive momentum by a change in tone or activity. Above all else, BE Yourself - it shows!

When we speak to our audience, it is a wonderful opportunity to reveal how we are so connected to each other as we traverse through life with challenges that show us up as successes while other challenges may be lessons that reinforce our belief in our strength to recover and discover better options. In any case, our public speaking is not only for our audience, however, for us as speakers as well. It is called self-improvement and the experience empowers us!

This is a great survey to gain some understanding of self because sometimes it is really hard to describe how you are as a person - especially when a lot of your life has been about how you "think" you should be or how you "believe" others see you. I would also recommend that this survey is repeated at least every two years because every day is a school day and we learn, develop and grow so some of our character strengths may grow too.

Speeches are a sort of presentation of one's perspective or mind set about the topic. Without control over the topic or subject anybody can lose the control over speeches. Truth is key to a positive mindset or a psychology. So be true to yourself, and take control of the topic like a true subject matter expert... speech or any kind of presentation will be influential

In my experience, being authentic and honest helps create an emotional connection to the audience. Two central things that are constant with all humans is love and pain. Share personal experiences of loss and gain or joy and sadness and the audience will connect.

Navigating our emotional landscape with tools like the Positive and Negative Affect Schedule teaches us about the balance of joy 😊 and sadness 😔, anger 😠, and serenity. By understanding our emotions, we harness the power to manage our mood, and energy, and to connect deeply with others. Emotions are the universal language that can transform our communication into an art form. When we speak, let's infuse our words with the sincerity of our emotions, using stories and anecdotes that strike a chord. This authenticity in expression is magnetic. It draws people in and holds them close. Remember, the most memorable speeches are those felt, not just heard.

They key with emotional mastery is to deliberately choose how we feel no matter the circumstances. As we move up the emotional scale, choosing to feel good, one vibrational increment at a time, we master our energy. That's when we harness our potential and that of our audience.

Know your feedback: This is really important aspect in anyone’s life. I observed in my practice many clients mainly focus on negativity rather positivity. If we can start our feedback focusing on positivity that will lead to empower and encourage the other individual. Sometimes we need to pay attention and be mindful of our conversations and it’s impact on others. This is an essential skill. In the beginning of my career I struggled a lot to provide positive feedback to others due to my insecurities. Thank you for all the mentors who helped 🙏 me during this journey. This unknown quote summarized my thoughts “Criticism, like rain, 🌧️ should be gentle enough to nourish a man's growth without destroying his roots.”

Feedback is the compass that guides our professional journey towards continuous improvement. The Feedback Orientation Scale 🔄 is a pivotal tool that gauges our openness to different types of feedback - from applause 👏 to critiques 🤔, to new ideas 💭. Knowing our feedback orientation is key to refining our speaking skills and enhancing our overall performance. By actively seeking and applying insights from audiences, peers, and mentors, we turn communication into a two-way street. Let’s not shy away from feedback; instead, let’s invite it, embrace it, and thank our contributors. When we show appreciation for others' input, we’re not just improving ourselves; we’re fostering a culture of growth and respect.

Many people struggle with feedback and for me, I see that is because they often consider how they are thinking and feeling when they are giving feedback on others (or not - if they don't have the confidence to speak up and be heard). So perhaps looking at this aspect from their own starting point and making sure they are coming from a place of kindness and offer of growth rather than from a place of criticism, cynicism, and negativity will mean that when they are on the receiving end of feedback they will be able to receive that with positivity, growth and learning - it's all about how we perceive things in the first place.

One’s mindset is very powerful. It shapes their world view and interactions with others. It also guides their interpretations. If you’re looking to impact those persons or advise them it’s essential to understand their mindset and how they view their experiences. Then you can figure out how to penetrate the surface and empower the individual to overcome their challenge and change their mindset.

Mindset is everything! I live by a reminder/mantra of "change your mind, change your life". Perhaps more than the average person I can speak to the power of mindset as a severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) survivor with lifetime retrograde amnesia, basically my mind was reset in my early 20's. Severe TBI is incredibly difficult to heal from, but i have found that myself and peers who tend to have more positive outcomes have adopted a mindset of optimism, hope, and courage. May your mind lead you in extraordinary directions :)

The Mindset Assessment Profile distinguishes between a fixed mindset and a growth mindset. It's a transformative tool that reveals whether we see our abilities as static or as capable of evolution through perseverance and effort. Acknowledging our mindset is more than self-awareness; it's the first step in overcoming obstacles and seizing new possibilities. A growth mindset encourages us to view failures as stepping stones and successes as milestones on a journey of lifelong learning. How does your mindset fuel your professional and personal growth? Share your experiences and let's cultivate a community that thrives on development.

You get what you focus on whether you want it or not. Focus on what you do want, not what you don't. That's mindset mastery!

Absolutely - mindset and where you place yourself on that spectrum is the foundation of how sturdy the ground is beneath you - you may think that the more "fixed" you are in mindset then the sturdier you are however this creates an aspect of inflexibility and so long as life doesn't throw curve-balls (who is the lucky person that that every happened to?!) then all is well, however a "growth" mindset allows for the movement of change and time. A little like NZ housing being on piles (stilts) to accommodate the moving land during earthquakes!

Incorporating positive psychology principles into public speaking not only benefits the speaker but also creates a ripple effect of positivity and inspiration. Thank you for highlighting the importance of happiness in delivering impactful speeches!

As an extension of this idea, I’d like to add that the key to experiencing sustained Happiness comes from believing that NOW is always the perfectly imperfect time to begin living your best life, not AFTER everything else is perfect.

You are one person - with various emotional connections to varying parts of life. But still you are one person. It is impossible to keep elements of your life separate for long. If you are unhappy at home, it will bleed into your work space. If you are unhappy in your workspace, it will affect things at home... at some point. Seeing yourself as one person instead of the home person, the work person, the parent person, the social person, etc makes it a lot easier to manage and develop.

All of these assessment are awesome, each in their own way, but what is missing from this article is how you increase your positive intelligence. A great book by Stanford psych professor Shirzon Chamine "Positive Intelligence: Why Only 20% of Teams and Individuals Achieve Their True Potential AND HOW YOU CAN ACHIEVE YOURS" teaches how you can actually change your positive mindset. He is all over the internet and if you are reading this I would encourage you to check it out. Being able to manipulate your "positive intelligence" is an invaluable gift!

You can leverage positive psychology to enhance your speeches by focusing on the following: Highlight the strengths and abilities of your audience, encouraging a sense of empowerment. Share stories and insights that inspire optimism and show how people can overcome challenges. Express gratitude and encourage a positive atmosphere to connect with your audience on an emotional level. Weave narratives that evoke positive emotions and resonate with your audience's experiences. Create opportunities for audience to participate and connect, fostering a sense of community. By applying these principles, you can make your speeches more engaging, inspiring, and impactful.

One of the greatest gifts we can give to an audience, is to uncover what most people do not know, but can help them to know what they really need to know for the rest of their life. What could that be? I named it Faulty Subconscious Programs that reside in everyone's Subconscious. These Faulty Subconscious programs direct us to think, say, and feel negative things silently. Thus, we may think, say, and feel things that may unknowingly hurt others as well as hurt ourselves! Best is we have the power to remove those Faulty Subconscious programs and replace them with positive programs. It is possible, quite doable, adds to our enjoyment of life, creates better relationships w/friends & family. My Reprogramming Hypnosis System teaches you how!

One of the best ways to get your points across is giving case study examples. Many people have no idea re: how powerful their Subconscious Mind really is. Do you have a problem that has been painful, unresolved, stopping your success & no one has been able to help you overcome it? Have been traumatized? If I told you the solutions to your issue are in your Subconscious Programming & it's possible we can help you communicate w/ your Subconscious to gain its help finding your solutions? Would you? Case study: Client's 2nd place in test taking, Case study:. woman had terrible grief & yet 1 week later no grief & her psoriasis on her arm was gone. Case study: 4yr old w/broken arm surgery & no need for pain meds! I've 120 case studies 4 proof!

Be unashamedly, authentically YOU... always 🙏 Don't think you HAVE to do all of the above to seek your happiness scale - pick what resonates and work with that. And return at a later date, things may have shifted over time and a different tool will help.