This past weekend I was at my grandson’s basketball game. After his game I went to the restroom, which also doubled as a locker room. There was an open area on one side of a partition with lockers, and a coach was talking to his team after their game. They were seated on benches in a semi-circle.

His voice filled the space, as he admonished his team to communicate to each other while on the court. I was captivated. He spoke strongly without yelling, with earnestness of message and a sense of desire to challenge, edify and encourage his team.

He spoke in clear, concise phrases that ended with downward inflection, which delivered more strength of message. His pauses were prevalent, and at times longer for a particular point to sink in. There was no weakness or trailing off at the ends of his sentences. He used a variety of voice inflection, tone color and expressive qualities for emphasis or emotional impact.

I didn’t want to leave the bathroom. It was a beautiful thing. His delivery was a natural talent that he didn’t need to think about. As a public speaking coach, I was able to assess his skills and breakdown why he was such a dynamic speaker.

Ask yourself why you are drawn to some speakers, and not others. Why do you lean in when someone speaks, and you could listen to them for hours? There are reasons!

I am on a mission to help people Impact, Interest and Influence their audiences every time!

Posted in Life Lessons