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Behavioural Intelligence - Learning From World Leaders' Speech Secrets

Guest post by: Clive Hook

Article Overview: If you want people to be engaged with your speech, presentation or written text you need to take some lessons from the orators, politicians and world leaders and build them into your material. Look at any great speech in recent history, whether it’s from Winston Churchill or Bill Clinton, Martin Luther King or Margaret Thatcher, Barack Obama or Nelson Mandela you’ll find some or all of the following tools of influence, persuasion and engagement.

Behavioural Intelligence - Learning From World Leaders' Speech Secrets

If you want people to be engaged with your speech, presentation or written text you need to take some lessons from the orators, politicians and world leaders (or actually their speechwriters) and build them into your material. Look at any great speech in recent history, whether it’s from Winston Churchill or Bill Clinton, Martin Luther King or Margaret Thatcher, Barack Obama or Nelson Mandela you’ll find some or all of the following in the text:-

Consonants and Vowels

Choose your words with care. Words with consonants make you sound logical, rational and energetic: Clarity, commitment, and conviction. Words with dominant vowels make you sound softer and gentler: Meaning, feeling, loving

Alluring Alliteration

Use alliteration to create memorable moments, fabulous phrases and superb speeches. Combine with three part lists for added effect (see below) particularly punchy points, sweet smells of success, time takes its toll and love’s labour lost.

Dramatic Tension

Describe the situation, then tell them the complication or problem and finish with the solution or resolution. The classic love story is boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl.

Three Part Lists

Group things in threes with the third thing being the most important. Emphasise it with the voice by increasing volume, dropping pitch and pausing either side of the third item (often helped by including an “and”). If there’s only one thing then say it three times. There’s only one flag for this country, the Red, White and Blue” “We will fight, fight and fight again” “Free at last, free at last, thank God Almighty I’m free at last”

Contrasting Pairs or Flip Flop

Find the opposite or a contrast, say it first and then hit them with the second with strong emphasis. “It’s not what you say it’s how you say it” It's not the men in my life - it's the life in my men." “Ask not what your country can do for you but what you can do for your country”

Of course you need to get the delivery right too. So watch video footage of some of the renowned speakers and you’ll see these things in action too:-

Stand and Breathe

Get attention and build anticipation at the start of a presentation. If you want to project your voice don't take a big breath, take a deep breath

Eye Sweep

As you talk move your eyes around the group and make quick but significant eye contact with each person. Match the speed of your head/eye movement with your voice speed, volume and pitch

Ups and Downs

Vary volume, pitch and speed for emphasis. Project your voice by fixing your eye on spots or having momentary eye contact with people at various distances and speaking directly to them.

All of this is part of Behavioural Intelligence. The skills of consciously choosing what you say or do next to have the most impact, create influence and get results (note the three part list). So don’t influence by accident, influence by design (contrasting pair).

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Article Tags: behavioural intelligence, emotional intelligence, influencing skills, powerful presentations



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