Uncovering the Secrets of Great Speakers We've Coached #1

Uncovering the Secrets of Great Speakers We've Coached

Great speakers are masters of their craft, captivating and inspiring their audiences. But what is it that makes them so successful? In this series of posts, we'll explore some of the strategies and techniques that make great speakers stand out from the crowd.

From honing their delivery skills to choosing the right words, we'll uncover the secrets of great public speaking. Join us as we analyze what effective speakers do to ensure their speeches are powerful and memorable.

Here are three things we can learn from Ori Shavit , who gave a memorable presentation as part of the Hiriya 2014 annual TEDx conference.

Research indicates that to make a message stick, we should repeat it around six times.

First, Ori conveyed a clear and strong message through repeated use of the memorable catchphrase: “You can change the world”. Research indicates that to make a message stick, we should repeat it around six times. Ori certainly used this technique, repeatedly mentioning veganism. She began by asking the audience if they would like to change the world. She then proceeded to describe her journey to conscious eating by saying she moved from “changing the world wasn’t on [her] plate” to putting the world on her plate. Later she elaborated on how it might change our lives by emphasizing health benefits and stating that we can make a difference in the environment all along using the key word "change". She then ended her talk with “you too can make a change to the world”. It all leads to the same conclusion- by changing the way you eat you will change the world.

Towards the end she even phrased *WIIFM as a question and asked them - “so what’s in it for you?" By doing so she made sure the added value that came after was crystal clear and accentuated.

Second, just like with her main message, Ori used repetition to catch the audience's attention and connect them to her passion. She demonstrated the benefits and value of changing one's lifestyle by communicating “WIIFM”. For instance, she elaborated on the health hazards of including meat in a diet, resulting in high cholesterol. Therefore, conscious eating will reduce the risk of having a heart attack, cancer, kidney diseases and diabetes. She then said that by no longer hurting others, she had stopped hurting herself. In other words, the audiences’ added value is being healthier. She then proceeded to describe the negative environmental changes caused by the meat industry. She summed it up by stating that “conscious eating is good for our health, but it is also good for the environment”. Towards the end she even phrased *WIIFM as a question and asked them - “so what’s in it for you?" By doing so she made sure the added value that came after was crystal clear and accentuated.

Third, to catch our attention and keep us engaged, she made direct contact and asked questions. This leads us to discuss another powerful technique – creating interactions. Throughout her talk Ori addressed the audience in the second person, saying phrases such as “if you said that to me only two years ago, I would have laughed in your face”, making her talk sound more like a conversation than a performance and effectively captivating those in the crowd.

The most memorable form of interaction, in my opinion, was when she held out an actual egg on stage and asked, “who knows the cost of an egg?" When an audience member replied with a figure, she explained that she didn't ask for the price, she asked for the cost. Through this thought-provoking interaction, she certainly caught my attention, keeping me in stitches during the rest of her explanation of the unknown aspects of the egg industry.

What do you think?

Our team (in Ori's case Adam Max ) had the privilege of coaching all the trainers for this TEDx event. The link to the presentation can be found in the comments section.

Written By Lavi Schwarcz , Trainer & Coach

*The WIIFM acronym stands for "What's in it for me?"