3 Keys to Effective Speaking

Awesome books, blogs, and videos have enhanced my public speaking. I rely on the ideas of others to crystalize my own ideas to others. But do you know what I find myself using most? It’s a 5-minute nugget from my middle school English class. Mrs. Burdick’s voice still shadows my notes as I write. I’m clueless as to how this stuck in my brain for so long. But I’m so glad it did!

Those three ingredients are, “Logos, ethos,” and “pathos.” Does this sound like Greek to you? That’s because it is! And here’s how it applies to public speaking:

Logical Flow - "Logos"

No one goes out of their way to sound confusing. We want everyone to “get it.” We crave the lightbulbs glistening over heads of listeners. Unfortunately I’ve had a couple speeches where my audience had blank expressions. They looked lost. In those moments I was reminded that what makes sense to me may not make sense to others.

Look at your notes and ask yourself...

• How does my first point relate to my second point?

• Does this next point belong in this section, or would it be better somewhere else?

• Why can I be confident listeners will understand where I’m going?

• How would this sound to someone else from a different perspective than my own?

Remember: every piece of information can be simplified. People are not impressed with how brilliant you are, but by how simple you can make ideas to others.

Factual Data - "Ethos"

This is where we get our word, “ethics.” Have you noticed political speakers of all stripes tend to use only facts that support their position? Rarely do you hear a congressman or journalist share both sides. What’s worse is facts that are exaggerated, misused, or just plain false to support our bias. That’s unethical. Convincing speakers are trustworthy speakers, and transparency is the best way to build rapport with listeners.

Do you have a presentation for your company about a new product, but you know that the finance team is coming prepared with stacks of papers saying, “We don’t have the money”? No problem. Their faces will be shocked if you said, “Now I need to be transparent with you. Here’s where the budget stands.” This may seem like threatening your own presentation, but it’s not. It’s winning over listeners who may not agree with you. You’ll never win everybody, but you can make people feel heard and understood.

Be ethical with your facts. Share the whole picture while sharing your belief in where we should go next.

Authentic Emotion - "Pathos"

Logical information with unadulterated facts are excellent bones of a great speech. But the blood, the tissue, the organs, and the essence of life itself comes from your passion. Would you pay money to show up at a conference where the main speaker is a lifeless computer? Neither will your audience. Books by greater speakers than I’ll ever be deal with passion: vocal variety, eye contact, appropriate gestures, illustrative stories, etc. Experiment with these in front of a mirror or practice in front of constructive friends to make these techniques authentic. The last thing we want to do is fake emotion. Anyone with half a brain can see this and it’s gross. But the hearts of our most outspoken enemies can be melted if we infuse our speech with real emotion.

Next Actions

To grow as a communicator, try one or more of these next actions:

• Pick one of the three keys (Logos, ethos, or pathos)

• Ask people for feedback. You don’t have to explain logos, ethos, or pathos to them. But ask them questions like, “Was there anything that didn’t make much sense to you? What would have made this clearer in your mind? Did you feel like you got the whole picture? What did you think about the facts I used? Was there something you thought of that might contradict my point? Did the speech make you feel inspired, happy, sad, contemplative, etc? What would have made the presentation more enjoyable to listen to?”

• Listen to yourself. Don’t be too harsh because we’re our own worst critic. But pay attention to the emotion, to the information, and to the logical flow of your presentation. Where do you think you’re strongest in? What needs some attention?

Do you have any helpful speaking tips? Share them below for us all to learn together!