My first lesson in public speaking came my freshman year of high school. I had to perform a Shakespearean monologue in front of the entire school. I was petrified until a friend in the audience cheered for me by saying my name in a weird, deep way. It was silly, and made us all laugh. In that moment, I realized that the audience wasn’t my enemy, but my traveling companion. They wanted to go on a journey with me, and they were rooting for our mutual success.

In that moment, I realized that the audience wasn’t my enemy, but my traveling companion. They wanted to go on a journey with me, and they were rooting for our mutual success.

When we begin our public speaking careers, we often focus on our appearance, our presence, and what the audience thinks about us, instead of focusing on what we all care about the most: understanding the message of the presentation.

Although my personality and charisma are a major part of why audiences connect to my speaking, ultimately, they are there for the message. My personal passion for whatever my topic is carries us all through the process together.

While it is always important to center your audience in selecting your speaking topic, make sure you choose something you genuinely care about and enjoy sharing with people. Have you ever droned on at a cocktail party about it? If you found out a friend-of-a-friend shared the interest would you wrangle an introduction? If you care about your message, and you’ve chosen the right venue for the topic, you’ll develop the trust needed for the audience to go along for the ride.

Fellowship in Message

Audiences are inspired by your commitment and connection to the topic. By demonstration your own inspiration in the topic, you are able to convey this passion to your audience, and give them a channel to experience your exuberance alongside you in fellowship.