Many people would agree that Michelle Obama is an excellent speaker. Time and again, Michelle relates stories of her childhood, her college years, her marriage, and her relationship with her daughters. The former First Lady openly shares her experiences of stepping into the public spotlight and the pressures (and joys) that accompany her status.
Michelle follows the best practices of public presentation: planning, speaking at an appropriate pace for the audience/occasion, storytelling, pauses, and so on. Yet, perhaps what impacts her audiences most is her ability to make a connection with others.
How can you make a connection with audiences of any size? Whether you’re addressing a group virtually or in person, take some time to think about the audience. What matters to the people in that crowd? What do they think and dream about? What do they care about? What values do they share?
When you craft your remarks around your audience and use anecdotes to share information in a relatable way, you build the connection that makes people remember your speech long after it has ended.
