Be a Better Storyteller - Watch Oprah's Golden Globes Speech

Among the clients that come to us for speech coaching, two questions are asked more than any others. One is, "how do I become a better storyteller?" The other? Whom should I be watching who you think is an outstanding public speaker? After watching Oprah Winfrey dazzle last night's Golden Globes audience with her stirring acceptance speech, the answer to both of those questions is an easy one.

Now you may be saying to yourself, "I give quarterly financial reports to a small staff in a windowless conference room. What Oprah does in front of a global audience isn't applicable to me.

Yes, it is.

If you were a weekend hacker golfer, would you turn down a lesson from Jordan Spieth? Of course not. Here is a golden opportunity to dissect Oprah's stellar performance and learn some valuable tips you can incorporate into your own execution.

The first few words out of her mouth were not a warning about what she was going to talk about. The first ten seconds are crucial in gripping your audience's attention. Why waste them on what I hear all the time: "Good morning. I want to start off this morning by talking a little bit about..." This ubiquitous beginning is an engagement killer. From her first few words, Oprah had us enrapt in a story: "In 1964, I was a little girl...." Storytelling needs to be the first order of business, not an agenda outlining what you're going to do in your speech or presentation.

Oprah also masterfully seized the visual sides of our brains and took us into her childhood home with imagery. She wasn't just sitting on the floor in her mother's home. She was sitting "on the linoleum floor in her mother's Milwaukee home." Details, especially visual ones, matter.

Juxtaposing contrasting language is a technique that makes your content more memorable. In describing Sidney Poitier, Oprah said, "his tie was white, and of course his skin was black."

Varying your speaking pace is a crucial technique to make your most vital information stand out more. When Oprah began talking about the impact Poitier's Best Actor Award meant to her, she slowed her pace dramatically, which also made that section feel more reflective and thoughtful.

Her Sidney Poitier story was also not some random anecdote. It was a thematic thread. She mentioned that the award she was there to receive was the same one given to Poitier over 30 years ago and that instead of her being the one sitting at home receiving his message of hope, she was the one at the podium delivering one to young women. In one short paragraph, she masterfully bridged the past with the present, racial inequality with gender inequality. And when she addressed those young women watching, she looked directly into the camera and made a real connection. Today, so many meetings and presentations have colleagues joining via video conference from remote locations. When you speak to them, look into the web camera. It makes a difference.

If you want a point you're making to stand out and have the full, undivided attention of your audience, place a "drumroll line" before it. A "drumroll line" for most of us may sound something like, "but more than anything, here's what will determine our success this year." After the drumroll line, pause one beat and then reveal that "one thing." Oprah's "drumroll line," delivered emphatically and deliberately, was, "which brings me to this. What I do know for sure..."

Adding emotion and intonation to your delivery brings an added emphasis to your points. When Oprah was describing the women who have come forward to "speak their truth" she brought a raspy, powerful intonation to the word "strong." Bringing a tone of voice to your delivery transforms words you're merely presenting from the presenter's notes of a PowerPoint deck to ideas you truly believe in.

A powerful refrain can also be an effective tool - a short line that through repetition creates a bolding and underlining to a key thought. For Oprah, the refrain was four words: "their time is up," referring to the oppressive reign of powerful and abusive men. Notice how it was the refrain that brought the audience to its feet.

Varying the volume of your voice helps boost engagement among your audience, especially when you lower your projection to make them listen more closely. It happened last night when Oprah spoke about the fact that speaking your truth also applies to the men "who choose to listen." The words "to listen" were almost whispered.

If you take a slightly more cynical view of Oprah's speech and think that it was nothing more than skilled TelePrompter reading (because it was available to her on the Prompter) I can tell you from a professional trainer's perspective, it's actually harder to crush a speech that is on the Prompter. Speaking fully written text often strips the feeling and emotion out of the delivery. It makes it all the more necessary to build in pausing and incorporate a feeling of thoughtfulness.

Yes, Oprah Winfrey is one of the most skilled communicators on the planet. Maybe your professional content isn't nearly as interesting as her remarks were last night. But that doesn't mean that her techniques aren't completely transferable to our everyday public-speaking tasks.