5 Professions to Learn Public Speaking From
I once heard this investor say that the worst place to learn investing was from investing books.
They said that if you wanted to be a better investor, then you should learn from the world.
Learn about history, politics, sales, business, and much more.
With that holistic understanding, you’ll have a firmer grasp on which ventures to invest in.
Likewise, public speaking books will only take you so far.
This should be a shocker because I have a public speaking guide called the Speaking Wizard!
I believe that public speaking books will teach you the technicalities.
But there is something deeper that will take you to the finish line.
That is to study different professions.
In this blog, I will share 5 professions that will skyrocket your understanding of public speaking.
Understand why they are doing what they are doing, and you will see things in communication that others don’t.
1. Preachers
Whether you agree with preachers or not is beside the point.
Study them.
What do you notice about their mannerisms?
Here are a few things I noticed about them:
- They have rhythmic voices.
- They have energy.
- Each of their stories has a message.
These are 3 qualities that make for a great public speaker.
A lot of the preachers are speaking in front of Mega Churches or Mega Mosques nowadays.
So, you’ll see a speaker speaking at scale.
Something about seeing 1 human talk to a gargantuan-sized audience seems magical.
It seems like a modern-day gladiator taking on the world.
2. Comedians
Comedians are one of the best resources to learn public speaking from.
They have a beautiful blend of storytelling, humor, and timing.
A few comedians to study are Russell peters, Chris Rock, and George Lopez.
These guys don’t just get polished like that overnight.
Instead, they kept practicing their sets until they felt polished.
When you watch how great their crowd control is, it’ll allow you to make tweaks in your speech.
You’ll see which parts in your talk to spice up, and when to add in strategic silences.
Comedians teach a ton about public speaking by showing us the power of keeping it light.
3. Ted Talks
Some will argue that the glory days of Ted Talks are over.
I disagree.
Ted Talks are like books.
There will be a lot of good books and a lot of bad books.
Likewise, there will be a lot of good Ted Talks and bad Ted Talks.
A few good ones are:
- Your personality and your brain.
- The language of being human.
- The new media’s coming of age.
- More than funny.
These talks have a strong message, polished speaking skills, and amazing lighting.
‘Amazing lighting?? What the hell does that have to do with public speaking?’
Surprisingly, a lot.
At the beginning of your journey, you may not care about these little details.
Over time, once you begin figuring out public speaking, you’ll see there are other elements of a speech to focus on.
Such as the visual aspect.
If you’re hosting an event, seeing how Ted Talks sets up their stage will give you different ideas on how to set up your stage.
4. Watch YouTubers
YouTubers get the reps as “entertainers” only.
Look closer though…
They are public speaking.
I like YouTube channels that aren’t highly edited.
These channels give you a peek into public speaking.
This will be polarizing…
- Streamers are some of the best public speakers out right now.
The fact that they can talk for 6 hours uninterrupted is insane.
It’s easy to undermine how difficult it is if you’ve never done it.
When you speak for hours by yourself, you’ll see the skill that is required.
If you watch streamers, don’t just view it as mental junk food.
Every now and then, ask yourself:
‘How are they able to speak for so long?’
You’ll notice that speaking that long requires:
- Great concentration.
- Adjusting to one’s body to get comfortable at will.
- Thinking of new topics on the fly.
5. Teachers
Teachers are all around us.
There are teachers in our classroom, on our YouTube channel, and in life.
Find a teacher that you admire and see how they are able to transmit a lesson to their students.
There is this one spiritual teacher who I watch that always has brilliant lectures.
He is able to intertwine spiritual principles with clarity and humor.
When he intertwines different elements into his talk, it’s hard not to pay attention.
By the way, this guy is not walking around on stage.
He’s just sitting down and giving a talk!
The fact that he can just sit down and give compelling talk shows that he’s gifted.
Plus, it shows that if your message is strong enough, it will drown out bland body language.
Learn Public Speaking from the World
I compiled this list without bringing up motivational speakers or professional public speakers.
Why?
Because the purpose of this post was to show you that you can learn public speaking from the world.
There are different individuals in your company that have a gift for words.
You’re the super technical engineer who knows the system.
Yet, they are the ones being given the promotion…
How come?
It’s because you speak machine language while they speak human language.
There are some common traits that all great speakers possess:
- A clear message.
- Humor.
- Open palms.
- A dynamic tone.
- Strategic use of silences.
The more that you study from other speakers, the better that you will get at public speaking.
There is a quote that goes like this:
“The greatest writers are the greatest readers.”
That means that inputs dictate outputs.
I have a remix to that quote:
“The greatest speakers are the greatest watchers.”
Watch the speakers who inspire you.
They inspire you to unleash your potential.
Watch how they create a talk and deliver it from beginning to end.
Soon, you’ll be chugging out talks like a professional speaker of your field.
For more insights into public speaking, check out the Speaking Wizard
