5 essential attributes of successful public speakers

Putting yourself before an audience time and again, risking rejection or indifference, can be grueling. These key traits can make or break your long-term effectiveness in conveying your overall message.

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Five key factors determine success or struggle for a public speaker.

Here they are:

1. Emotional resilience. Not every audience is going to love you, and not every speech is going to be a success, but if you can’t bounce back from the difficult occasions and take the successes in stride without becoming overly confident, you’re going to have a rocky ride.

2. Determination. Closely related to resilience is the ability to stick to it without giving up, even if things don’t go your way. It takes considerable effort and time to develop a successful public speaking career, and anyone expecting quick results and easy wins is bound for disappointment. Hanging in there—without being delusional—is a key emotional success factor.

3. Conscientiousness. Speakers have to sweat the details, from the arcana of their specialty to the little moments of technical and performance felicity that make the difference between doing just OK and outright greatness. Caring about the people who help you along the way is important, too. Successful public speaking is about both the little stuff and the big stuff.

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