Public Speaking for Relationship Building

𝐀 𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐭 𝐖𝐞𝐚𝐩𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐏𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐀𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐬 𝐦𝐨𝐫𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐬𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐨𝐫 𝐢𝐧𝐯𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐬𝐡𝐨𝐰 𝐨𝐟 𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐬. It is about engagement, connection, and curiosity. In my decades as a keynote speaker and executive speech coach, I have learned that when you interact with your audience, they feel seen, heard, and valued. They do not sit back passively; they lean in. When we train and work with audiences of executives, engineers, or ambitious professionals, the moment our audience participates, the experience becomes theirs, not ours. 𝐀 𝐟𝐞𝐰 𝐬𝐢𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐞 𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐢𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐬 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐰𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬: Ask a rhetorical question that makes them think. Refer to what someone said earlier. Ask them for their examples that also reinforce our points of wisdom. Acknowledge their challenges and link your content to their world. Interaction transforms a presentation from a one-way delivery into a two-way connection. 𝐎𝐮𝐫 𝐚𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐦𝐞𝐦𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐰𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐲. They will remember how we excited them with new ideas and what they thought as they interacted. 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐬 𝐥𝐢𝐤𝐞 𝐦𝐞, 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐝𝐞 “𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐢-𝐜𝐨𝐚𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠” 𝐨𝐫 “𝐡𝐨𝐭 𝐬𝐞𝐚𝐭𝐬.” Without exception, one of the highlights of my presentation skills sessions is the “Fripp Razor-Focused Mini-coaching” portions. For example, after I deliver ideas on their options for openings, I ask for willing participants to deliver their best openings. When I give my suggestions, the audience gasps! Then I ask the audience, “Do you consider this better?” “What were the differences?” “Can you use this technique in your speeches?”  𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐨𝐟 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝 𝐚 𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐢𝐧 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧. 𝐈 𝐡𝐨𝐩𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐬𝐞 𝐬𝐮𝐠𝐠𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩𝐟𝐮𝐥. #presentationskillsexpert #keynotespeaker #publicspeaking #frippvt

I recently spoke at a school… and afterward, a teacher came up to me and said: “How did you get our students to listen and actually engage? They never do that.” And my answer was simple: 👉 I focused on building a relationship before trying to deliver a message. Students don’t care how much you know… until they know how much you care. What I’ve learned through years of speaking in schools across the country is that behind every pair of eyes is a story most people never take the time to understand. Too often, we get so focused on the lesson plan that we forget about the human plan — the one that meets students where they are, not where we assume they should be. 📌 When we take the time to see them, hear them, and value their voice, something powerful happens: the walls they’ve built to protect themselves start to come down. 📌 And when the walls come down, trust walks in. 📌 And once trust is there, the real work — the kind that changes lives — can finally begin. Textbooks can teach information. But relationships build connection — and connection creates a safe space where learning can truly happen. Education has never just been about lessons, tests, or grades. It’s about people. And people thrive when they feel like they matter. When students know you genuinely care, they’ll lean in a little closer, listen a little longer, and believe a little deeper. The truth is, a relationship can do what a rule book never will — inspire change from the inside out. So to every educator, leader, and mentor: keep showing up, keep listening, keep building trust. Because sometimes, it’s not the subject we teach that impacts students most — it’s the connection we build while teaching it. #RelationshipBuilding #StudentEngagement #SchoolCulture #EducationMatters #TrustAndConnection #TeachingWithHeart #SafeSpaces #LeadershipInEducation #StudentSuccess #TraumaInformed #StudentVoice #ResilientSchools

"Be Human" A yellow post-it note with this wisdom sat on the side of my monitor for years. It was a gentle reminder to engage in pleasantries and not overcomplicate my speech. This journey started over a decade ago when one of my favorite leaders (still a friend) gave me crucial feedback: relationship-building matters and is always happening. My efficiency-driven brain struggled with this. I'd pick up the phone, call someone, and launch right into business. No pleasantries, no connection. Learning to nurture work relationships (read: networking) wasn't instant. It was a critical building block in becoming a better leader. Like a magpie collecting shiny objects, I gathered data and learnings. This feedback, John Maxwell's "Everyone Communicates, Few Connect," and now Terry Szuplat's "Say It Well" all helped shape my approach. In his "Talk Like a Human" chapter, Szuplat introduces the BBQ rule: only describe your work as you would to family at a BBQ. It's a simple, fast framework for more thoughtful communication. Crafting a speech, presentation or email? Ask yourself: "Would I explain this the same way at a family BBQ?" As always, it's about balance. Be your authentic self, but recognize the power of connection. For me, it was worth the trade off to engage in pleasantries for the relationship bridges it built. Tollisha Joseph reminded me of that balance earlier this week. Not for the first time, she said that our communications should always match the person people meet in real life. Don't modify your style so much that it no longer sounds like you. I challenge you: consider the BBQ rule next time you're communicating something complex. Can you make it sound like you while still building connection and not overcomplicating things? What's your go-to strategy for staying human in professional communications? (Alt text/image description embedded in image)

According to the Michael Page 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟓 𝐬𝐮𝐫𝐯𝐞𝐲, 𝟑𝟖% 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐨𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐲 𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐲𝐞𝐫𝐬 in India now prioritise 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐬𝐤𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐬 over technical expertise, making it the most in-demand soft skill this year. That number says a lot. Because speaking clearly is no longer a nice-to-have skill. It is a 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐫 𝐚𝐝𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐠𝐞. When I started speaking publicly, I thought I had to sound perfect. I practised lines, memorised phrases, and tried to match the tone of great speakers. But somewhere along the way, I realised something simple. 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐝𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐧𝐞𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐮𝐥. My biggest tip for public speaking is this: 𝐒𝐭𝐨𝐩 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐠. 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠. If your audience feels like you are talking with them, not to them, that is when they truly listen. You do not connect by using heavy words. You connect by using 𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐬. Every great talk I have seen had one thing in common, 𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐠𝐲. It is the pause before a story. The smile after a truth. The silence that makes people nod. “𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐧’𝐭 𝐭𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐲. 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐜𝐚𝐧 𝐨𝐧𝐥𝐲 𝐩𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐡𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐲.” Public speaking is not about being perfect on stage. It is about being 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐦𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭. Because the more real you sound, the more people 𝐭𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐭 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐚𝐲. What about you, when you speak, do you focus more on your 𝐦𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐠𝐞 or your 𝐝𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲? #PublicSpeaking #Communication #Leadership #CareerGrowth #LinkedInNewsIndia #LinkedInNews

I talk to 9 new CXOs almost every week. 7 out of the 9 struggle with this 1 thing: "Connecting Emotionally with Their Audience" This happens because they frequently rely too much on statistics and facts, which makes their speech impersonal and dry. The next thing they know, their capacity to inspire and lead their groups, stakeholders, and clients goes down to 0! And it’s not like they haven’t worked on it. Infact, at least 5 of those CXOs have experimented with different approaches to enhance their public speaking abilities, including going to seminars, reading books, and even rehearsing in front of a mirror. But these attempts were more about technique than on the emotional connection, which eventually made them give up. Once we SWOT analysed it all, finding the right approach was easy for us. What did we do? The Empathy-Driven Communication Approach: → Storytelling: We created gripping stories to illustrate the most important points to make the information memorable and relatable. → Analysis of the Audience: We concentrated on learning about the needs, feelings, and viewpoints of the audience. → Training in Emotional Intelligence: We aimed to improve their capacity to identify, control, and relate to their own feelings as well as those of their audience. The result? → 3X the Influence → 2X the Engagement → Stronger Relationships Today, they have transitioned from being data-driven presenters to influential storytellers who can connect deeply with their audience. Interested in transforming your public speaking skills and becoming an influential leader? DM me “INFLUENCE” P.S. What do you find most challenging about connecting with your audience during a presentation?

I started speaking in public… nearly 3 decades ago. And my very first talk was on a stage for 800 people – trial by fire. I was in survival mode. I was ‘performing’. I quickly learned what makes a great keynote or breakout. Many, many, many talks since then and perhaps even more speaker coaching sessions since has allowed me to help others skip the feeling of survival, trial by fire or plain nervousness. My most recent experience helping make this shift to connecting was with an Intensive Care Unit physician, and researcher, at Cedars-Sinai in Beverly Hills. We re-visited how he invited participants into the research. It was a shift from ‘helping his research’ to ‘being of SERVICE to the families and their loved ones’. The true secret to great public speaking isn’t about flawlessly delivering a speech. It’s about the connection you create with your audience. It’s about being authentic, engaging, and making sure your message resonates by being of service to them. BONUS TIP: If you’re nervous, it signals you are focusing on yourself, not your audience. Switch your focus to be of service! Nervousness will dissipate proportionately! In every presentation, conversation, or pitch, it’s the human element that drives connection. Whether you’re leading a team meeting, giving a keynote, or sharing an idea, it’s the palpable emotion and intent behind your words that have the lasting impact. #PublicSpeaking #LeadershipDevelopment #EffectiveCommunication #AuthenticLeadership #SpeakWithImpact #ServiceMindset #CHOICE 1.0

Here’s the thing nobody tells you about speaking on a panel or podcast. Most people are so focused on sounding smart that they forget the ONLY thing the audience cares about. Connection. Real, human, punch-you-in-the-chest connection. After speaking at SXSW, SEAT, and presenting to teams at Disney Entertainment, Live Nation Entertainment, Peloton Interactive, and a few others who definitely didn’t have time to be bored, I’ve learned one truth. Public speaking is not a performance. It’s a service. And when you treat it like service, everything changes. Here are the data-backed habits that actually move the needle. 1. Speak in 12-second blocks. Studies show the average listener tunes out after 12 to 18 seconds. Break everything into short, clean blocks. No paragraphs. Just punches. 2. Start with a story, not a credential. Neuroscience says stories activate up to 7 regions of the brain. Credentials activate one. Make them feel before you make them think. 3. Give one controversial take. Panels are full of "nice" opinions. Be the person who says the thing everyone is thinking. Bold viewpoints create 3 to 5 times more engagement. 4. Make every answer actionable. People remember speakers who solve problems. Not speakers who speak. Every point you make should pass the "can someone use this tomorrow" test. 5. Let your personality leak. Humor increases retention by 20 percent. Vulnerability increases trust by 40 percent. Combine both and you’re basically cheating. 6. Slow your pace by 15 percent. Most speakers rush. Research shows listeners rate slower speakers as more credible, more confident and more strategic. 7. End with a takeaway, not a thank you. Give them the line they quote later. The line they text to a friend. The line that gets screenshotted. If you’re stepping onto a stage or into a podcast, remember this. You’re not there to impress. You’re there to impact. And when you shift your mindset, the audience shifts with you. #sales #publicspeaking #podcast