Become a Better Speaker by Watching Videos

It's never been easier to find examples of great speakers that you can watch, analyse and learn from in order to become a better speaker.   But making the most of these recordings isn't as easy as you might think.  

• Finding good examples can be difficult and 
• Most people are not used to analysing a speech
• It takes practice to be able to spot "The differences that make a difference"

In this article, I'll help you to become a better speaker by finding good speech examples to model.  I'll also share some useful tips on how to work out what the best presenters do differently. 

Speech Analysis Tools

The Presentation Triangle

Every live presentation is a combination of three key elements; content, structure & delivery. All are important.

Content: 
The facts, figures, data, examples, case studies and stories that convey your messages.  It must be clear, relevant and include both logical and emotional content if it is to engage and motivate the audience.   Stories and case studies are particularly effective at bringing more abstract information to life.

Structure

• Does the presentation of an attention grabbing opening that hooks your attention and makes you want to hear more?  
• Is there a logical flow to the speech that makes it easy to follow, or does it jump all over the place?
• Is there a strong conclusion that leaves you in no doublt as to what to do next?

 Delivery:

• What does the presenter do to engage the audience?
• How well does the speaker's body language support and reinforce their verbal message?
• How does the speaker use their voice to enrich their content?

The Three V's of Speaking

Verbal:
The words you choose to use - Vocabulary.

Vocal:
The way the speaker uses their voice - volume, speed, intonation, pitch, pauses pronunciation.

Visual:
Body Language and Visual aids - Facial Expression, Gestures, Posture, Stance, Movement, Readability of slides & Slide design.

Where to find videos:

Youtube is the most obvious place to look for examples to help you become a better speaker, but the biggest problem is that there are so many videos and not all of them are good examples. 

TED  and TEDx
I admit it, I am a TED addict.   Visit the TED site and you'll see some of the best speakers on the planet and it won't cost you a penny.  The topics are rich and diverse and the quality is generally very good.  Check out TED.com and TEDxtalks.ted.com