I'm a TEDx Speaker Coach?-?Here's How to Deliver a Speech That Leaves a Lasting?Impact

I just finished working with my latest TEDx client, and her story is incredibly powerful — one that is certainly worth telling.

The thing is, even though I helped to craft it, and I’d heard it several times before, when we started practicing her delivery, I just wasn’t feeling it.

I wasn’t connecting emotionally, and honestly, I didn’t believe her.

So, we shifted gears. Instead of focusing on how she was speaking, we worked on strategies to connect on deeper level with her audience.

Public speaking is so much more than just reciting words. It’s about forging genuine connections with your audience and leaving a lasting impression.

Whether you’re presenting to a small group or a huge crowd, the way you deliver your message can make all the difference to whether it sticks with your audience or just goes in one ear and out the other.

I’ve spent my career speaking and shaping messages. I was a broadcast journalist, delivering the news on television and radio. I’ve also worked as a political speechwriter for senators in the Government of Jamaica, crafting speeches to inspire action.

Today, as a professional speaker, TEDx speaker coach, and professor of communication, I teach people how to own the room and captivate audiences.

After coaching top speakers, and delivering hundreds of speeches over the last two decades, I’ve identified five essential steps to make any speech impactful and unforgettable.

1. Start Strong: A Compelling Opening That Grabs Attention

First impressions matter. Work on a compelling opening that grabs attention. Your opening sets the stage for your entire speech.

If you don’t hook your audience in the first 10–15 seconds, I can promise you that, you’ve already lost them.

Think about Barack Obama’s 2004 speech at the Democratic National Convention. Pleasantries aside, he started with a powerful and candid admission:

“Today is a particular honor for me because let’s face it: my presence on this stage is pretty unlikely. My father was a foreign student born in a small village in Kenya. He grew up herding goats, and went to school in a tin roof shack...”

A strong opening is your chance to make people sit up and listen. When I coach TEDx speakers, I always challenge them to answer these questions: How will you make the audience care within the first 10 seconds? Will you tell a gripping story? Pose a provocative question? Make a bold statement? Tell a joke? (by the way, be careful with jokes — it has to be funny otherwise you can lose your audience).

The best openings are not just engaging; they are critical to the audience’s understanding of what’s coming next. They should create a sense of anticipation, and invite us to want to know more.

2. Make It Personal — Ground Your Story in Your Personal Brand

The most powerful speeches connect to real human experiences. That’s why personal storytelling is one of the most effective ways to build credibility and trust.

Yet, this is not about crafting a narrative and marketing it. It’s about knowing your personal brand — understanding your human attributes, core values, identity, and expertise.

In public speaking, this is what gives you gravitas.

Think about it. The best speakers don’t just share information; they own their value, and what they bring to the table, and then communicate that with conviction.

For example, Brené Brown is a researcher, but her personal brand is anchored in vulnerability and authenticity. That’s why we lean in. Oprah Winfrey is acelebrated speaker not because she was giving away gifts on television. She embodies wisdom, empathy, and empowerment, and she knows how to listen which makes her presence magnetic.

By rooting your message in who you are and just what what you say will make it impossible for the audience to ignore the weight of your words. Speeches that lack groundings in your personal brand and story feel hollow.

The audience needs to understand not just what you believe, but why you believe it — and nothing conveys that better than leaning into your authentic self.

3. Use the Power of Three — Tension, Transformation, Resolution

Every great speech follows a narrative arc. Without structure, a speech is just a collection of words.

One of the most effective storytelling frameworks is the “Power of Three” — a structure that introduces a challenge, a watershed moment (turning point), and a resolution.

In my own speeches, I use this technique to help audiences connect with my key messages. This is also what I teach students in my public speaking college course: For example, the power of three technique looks like this:

• Beginning (Tension): I once worked with a CEO who was terrified of public speaking. He would freeze in front of large audiences, even though he was brilliant in one-on-one conversations.
• Middle (Transformation): After weeks of coaching, he learned how to channel his natural conversational style into his speeches.
• End (Resolution): That same CEO later delivered a keynote speech that earned him a standing ovation. He realized that he didn’t need to be the loudest person in the room — just the most authentic.

When you structure your speech in a way that builds momentum and resolution, people actively listen and will remember what you say.

4. Speak Like You’re Having a Conversation, Not Giving a Lecture

One of the best advice I received as a young television news anchor was to speak as if I am in a conversation with one person (Thanks Wycliffe Bennett for your wisdom!).

The best speakers don’t sound like they’re delivering a speech — they sound like they’re having a conversation with you.

This is the genius of speakers like Michelle Obama. Check out her 2024 speech at the Democratic National Convention. She didn’t sound like she was reading off a teleprompter. She spoke as if she was sitting across from each listener, sharing her heart with them.

That ability to connect with an audience and make every person in the room feel like you’re speaking directly to them is what separates a great speaker from a forgettable one.

If you sound too scripted, people tune out. If you sound natural, they lean in because you have their attention.

5. Slides Are for Your Audience — Not for You

One of the biggest mistakes speakers make is what I call “slide overload” — using too many slides, overloading their slides with information, and speaking at the slides versus to their audience.

A great slide deck should enhance your message, not merely serve as a visual representation of what you are saying.

Your slides should be minimalist with a single image or phrase. Your audience should be listening to you, not reading a wall of text behind you.

Keep your slides simple. One key idea per slide is a good rule of thumb. Choose images and visuals that really strengthen what you’re saying.

And please, please don’t just read from your slides! They’re there to help you, not to take your place. You’re the one telling the story.

At the end of your speech, circle back to your core message. What do you want your audience to remember? What do you want them to do next?

Final Thoughts: Own Your Voice, Own the Room

A great speech isn’t about flawless delivery, a perfectly memorized script, or the most sophisticated slides. It’s about connection.

The best speakers don’t try to impress their audience; they seek to reach them. They show up as their authentic selves, grounded in their personal brand, core values, and life experiences.

When you step on stage — whether it’s a conference, a boardroom, or a TEDx event — remember that your power lies in your ability to connect.

Start strong, make it personal, structure your message with impact, speak with natural confidence, and use visuals wisely.

But most importantly, own your voice. Speak from a place of truth. Believe in what you’re saying. Because when you believe it, your audience will too.

At the end of the day, people may not remember every word you said, but they will remember how you made them feel. Leave them with something that lingers.

Leave them changed.

Are you a professional struggling with public speaking anxiety, lack of clarity, or failing to connect with their audience?

I created Own The Room?: Personal Branding Masterclass?—?an interactive 3-week seminar designed to help professionals like you deliver clear, compelling messages tailored to any audience, speak with confidence in meetings, presentations, and high-stakes conversations as well as overcome public speaking anxiety to develop poise and control, whether speaking virtually or in-person

?? Seminar Series Begins: March 5, 2025 ?? Live on Zoom | Interactive & Hands-On Learning

Are you ready to communicate with confidence and OWN THE ROOM??

?? Learning more here ---> : https://live.vcita.com/site/drhume/online-scheduling?service=bqo3oezb1apyac53