What skills and traits does a great public speaker have? Why are they so successful? What do they do well? What makes an audience want to lean in and listen to them?

Becoming an effective public speaker is not easy.

Success requires a lot of practice, hard work, and message refinement.

If you really think about it, good public speakers are like successful comedians.

An influential speaker conveys their message while keeping the audience entertained and engaged.

If you are a new or aspiring public speaker, you are asking:

• What must I learn to keep my audience interested, connected, and understand my presentation?
• What does it take to become a powerful public speaker?
• What do I need to know to inspire the audience to act?

10 attributes of the best public speakers

Here are 10 essential qualities, attributes, and characteristics for becoming a successful public speaker. Let’s examine each one and decide why they are crucial.

1. Passion

First, you must be passionate about the topic for your audience to share that passion. The best speakers know their why and communicate that to the audience.

You must be passionate about the issue you’re discussing and excited to share your message.

“Passion is energy. Feel the power that comes from focusing on what excites you.”

 Oprah Winfrey, an American talk show host, TV producer, actress, and author

If your audience feels your passion, they will be more interested in what you have to say.

Your enthusiasm is clear in your body language, voice, and overall presence.

If you lack passion, your audience will check their smartphones during your presentation and won’t fully digest your message.

2. Confidence

Confidence is crucial to earning your audience’s trust. Your delivery must show your skill on a topic.

Your audience will trust you and your message if you are knowledgeable about the topic matter. Give examples to back it up.

Confidence helps you become more credible and believable.

Confidence is about knowing your topic, yourself, and the audience.

If you come across as insincere, your audience will detect it. They will be less likely to listen to what you are saying.

3. Optimism

Many public speakers are naively optimistic about their presentations. Optimism is more than positive thinking.

It is about an expectation that you will give a fantastic presentation. Being optimistic requires a lot of practice and a belief in a bright future.

Optimism is a humble belief in yourself that you will succeed.

When you are optimistic, you act and work hard to become a better public speaker.

• You watch and learn from TED Talks.
• You hone your speaking skills.
• You gain a deeper understanding of the topic of your presentation.

This way, you can answer tough questions during it or at the end.

4. Storytelling

The best speakers turn a presentation into a story. The most successful public speakers take the audience to a new world where it doesn’t feel like a presentation.

Storytelling is a way to keep your audience engaged. It involves providing ideas, personal experiences, and work-life lessons.

This is achieved through a narrative that evokes emotions and presents a unique perspective on a topic.

Storytelling is one of the oldest forms of communication. It remains one of the most effective ways to share knowledge and information.

Storytelling is the foundation of an excellent presentation. 

People remember stories more than facts and statistics. Storytelling helps the audience come together to imagine new things, new experiences, and new emotions.

Influential public speakers use storytelling as a compelling and engaging means to convey their knowledge to the audience.

5. Conscientious

Conscientious speakers are dependable and organized. They are more productive and better equipped to control their impulses.

This trait makes it easy to work with meeting organizers and people who book speakers for events.

Conscientious people are often perceived as self-aware, careful, and diligent in their word choice and approach to presentations. 

People don’t like a “prima donna” — a person with an inflated perspective of their talent and importance.

6. Emotional intelligence

Influential public speakers can read their audience. They have a high level of emotional intelligence, the ability to recognize and influence others’ emotions.

• Is your presentation engaging your audience?
• Is your audience talking to each other?
• Are they distracted, so they’re not absorbing your message?

Emotionally intelligent speakers can understand their audience’s emotions and comprehend what motivates them.

They can control their emotions and manage the adrenaline rushing through them while on stage.

They can analyze what went right or wrong during their presentation and make quick adjustments. After a talk that did not go well, they can move on.

7. Control

Successful public speakers have control over their performance. They control as many variables as possible during the presentation to guarantee it goes well. Control helps speakers be consistent.

The best public speakers have control of their nerves while presenting.

They practice, so the presentation comes across naturally and with confidence.

Speakers with control arrive early, take deep breaths before the presentation, and transform nervous energy into enthusiasm.

They visualize positive outcomes and adjust well to their surroundings.

8. Determination

Influential public speakers are determined to excel. They are constantly seeking more insights, stories, and wisdom about their presentation topic.

Determination is related to resilience because it doesn’t give up when things are not going well. Being a successful public speaker requires considerable effort and time.

They are determined to succeed and persist in the face of challenges.

Decisive speakers can overcome anything thrown their way.

They know that presentations don’t always go smoothly. For example, there is a sound issue with the microphone or a technology glitch with the PowerPoint.

9. Self-awareness

The best public speakers are self-aware and can view things from different perspectives. They know their audience’s makeup and what they do for a living.

“The greatest thing in the world is to know how to belong to oneself.”

Michel de Montaigne, a French writer and philosopher

When speakers are self-aware, they better connect with the audience.

They don’t assume and look to overcome cognitive biases.

10. Concise

The most engaging public speakers keep their presentations short and to the point. They leave the audience wanting more.

Public speakers are aware that attention spans are short, so they show their material smoothly and effectively.

Public speakers are aware that presentations exceeding 20 minutes can be challenging for the audience.

They break their presentations up, giving the audience a chance to take a break.

This ensures the audience is fresh and receptive to the message.

The best speakers thoroughly know their topic. They can convey it concisely in their stories. Their messages are also succinct.

Bringing it all together

There are 10 key characteristics of the best public speakers. They are passionate, confident, and optimistic. They are good storytellers, concise, and emotionally intelligent.

Effective public speakers are conscientious, self-aware, and determined.

“If I went back to college again, I’d concentrate on two areas: learning to write and to speak before an audience. Nothing in life is more important than the ability to communicate effectively.”

Gerald R. Ford, the 38th president of the United States

To be an effective public speaker, you must know your audience. Be confident on stage. Adjust on the fly. Make sure your stories are short and powerful.

If you have these qualities, you will give an engaging presentation that your audience will remember.

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