How can you gather data on your speaking style?

Yes, you will want to pull your hair out. Yes, it will be cringe-worthy. Yes, it will be immensely helpful in your career as a speaker. There's nothing more beneficial to a motivational speaker than hearing your own voice, cadence, timing and voice inflections. Because whether we like to admit it or not, this is how people are actually consuming what we have to say. And if you care enough to deliver a powerful message, odds are you care enough to sit through the embarrassment that is watching yourself speak. It really is the best way to improve as a speaker (and least fun by far).

“Feedback is the breakfast of champions”. This requires being able to accept feedback humbly and putting the ego aside, without taking offense. So much growth comes from the feedback. Speaking clubs make Evaluations a Key part of their meetings. Having your speeches evaluated by senior members across multiple criteria, and then provided back to you in constructive way, accelerates growth and learning.

It was Isaac Newton who said that if I have seen further than others, it is by standing upon the shoulders of giants. The best way to grow is opening yourself to constructive evaluations and leveraging on mentorship to grow. You can never gather data on your speaking style without the help of others, especially those who have gone ahead of you. Just as we say in the Toastmasters International Club that feedback is the food of champion. So asking for feedback from audience and peers will keep your speaking career afloat, but asking for feedback from mentors and coach will grow your speaking skill exponentially. Because a mentor or coach will commend what you have done and recommend what you should do better. Chinenye Priscilla Anaemena

The greatest metric for speakers is by far the referral. To be able to move someone so much so that they would then, of their own free will, reach out to someone in their network to tell them about you; it's the highest compliment a person can get. Sure, there are many other metrics you can pull from your website, podcasts, videos, etc. - but to have another human speak to another human (so rare these days) specifically about you... pure gold.

I would agree that likes, comments & shares are a powerful metric to follow. Given the amount of effort it takes, for someone to spend their precious time to give you a comment. That says something. What you said resonated with the person, they Learnt something from you. The old adage goes, "If they don't learn, they won't return". When someone also refers you to others in their network, they are taking a risk. So by doing that they are showing Trust, they value what you have to say and believe your message will resonate with others.

I believe it's important to unapologetically embrace your uniqueness. There are so many prominent speakers out there and it can be quite intimidating to enter a stage when you start to compare yourself with others. If you are inspired by a speaker, try dig deep into their speaking journey over the years. How they have grown over time? Let that inspire you, that with dedication and practice, you can be just as proficient and impactful. "Wow this person has done a bunch of videos, they speak so confidently. Let's see what video 1 looked like, oh, look at that growth over time! What did they use to get better?"

To gather data on your speaking style, you can use several methods. One approach is recording your conversations or speeches and then analyzing them for various parameters such as pitch, tone, pace, and word choice. Software tools like voice recognition or speech analysis programs can assist in this process. You can also collect feedback from others, like friends or colleagues, to gain insights into your speaking style. Additionally, self-assessment and reflection can help you understand your own tendencies. By combining these approaches, you can develop a comprehensive understanding of your speaking style and work on improving it.