How to own the room and exude charisma as a public speaker!

My beautiful late Mother was a talented violinist as a young child and teenager.

Growing up in Perth, Western Australia she was described in the local newspapers as a budding young prodigy with a promising future in the musical world.

Mum’s career as a concert violinist never manifested.

Unfortunately, life and the need to get a job got in the way of her dream.

But her passion for the violin and classical music endured her entire life.

Mum used to tell me that, in her opinion, there were two types of violinists – the ones who were technically brilliant and the ones who were both technically brilliant and “felt” the musical notes with every fibre of their being. She said that it was the latter group of violinists that shone as performers, and were the real violin “superstars”.

It is this ability to feel that sets any type of performer apart from others and helps them “own the room”.

The Dictionary defines Charisma as compelling attractiveness or charm that can inspire devotion in others.

Here are five simple ways to create that presence and be your most charismatic self when you are in the speaking spotlight. 

1. Know the Basics.

I know it’s not “sexy”, but there is no substitute for knowing the basics and the fundamentals of your craft.

Speakers and presenters need a repertoire of skills upon which they can draw in order to make their speech compelling.

They need to employ the use of things such as powerful choice of words and language, great eye contact, voice modulation (think of things such as the judicious use of tone, pace and volume), the effective use of pauses (as perfected to a tee by President Obama!) along with the use of gestures and use of body language to convey their message.

2. Be Prepared

Being 100% prepared before you deliver your speech or presentation is vital to your public speaking confidence.

It's almost impossible to be cool, calm, collected and confident on the day if you have left everything to the last minute and not invested enough time, energy and care into your preparation.

Rehearse your presentation forwards and backwards until you know it like the back of your hand.

And start practising and rehearsing way in advance, not just at the last minute.

3. Smile!

It sounds so simple and obvious, but some Speakers forget to smile!

I know I know! When we are feeling a bit on the nervous and tentative side, the last thing we even think of doing is to smile.

One study found that when we smile, it naturally puts us in a more optimistic, energetic and upbeat emotional state. Research has identified that these positive emotions even linger after we have stopped smiling.

To top it off, when we smile at another person, they will smile back, due to the power of our brains’ mirror neurons.

People become more receptive to us, before we have even uttered a single word!!!

4. Project Self-confidence.

Self-confident speakers feel comfortable, at ease and relaxed when speaking to an audience.

They almost look like they were born as confident public speakers.

But in reality, their confidence has come from a combination of knowing the basics of speaking, plenty of practice and preparation in advance of their “performance”.

People feel drawn to presenters who exude confidence, project energy and show enthusiasm for their special topic.

5. Exude Passion.

This is the “feeling” part of the performance.

Just watching Martin Luther King’s I have a dream speech gives me chills.

His passion literally oozes from the screen.

Check out his famous speech here

My mother’s beautiful and passionate violin playing converted her brother’s (my uncle’s) love of pop music into a love of classical music.

And many years later, 4 of his children ended up playing classical music – 2 of them professionally in orchestras.

You need to feel the words and message you are conveying with every essence of your being.

It’s a fact that audiences feel what you feel. 

In conclusion, a great speech or performance can leave a lasting legacy.

It can change minds, inspire and influence people to take action.

We need more confident, passionate and charismatic speakers with a powerful message to help change our world for the better!

© 2022 Susan Weser. All rights reserved.