How’s Your Attitude?

Warning: If it looks like you’d rather be somewhere else when you give a speech, you’re likely heading for miserable results.

I admit it. I think I need a coffee to start each and every day.

Once I have a cup of Joe in my hand, I feel ready to pay attention and officially switch my thinking cap on.

And while I’m really fortunate to work right beside many places where I can easily get my fix, I only rate 2 of these – where they each serve ‘great’ coffee.

As I was walking out the door to get ‘some good stuff’ one morning last week, someone asked me:

“So Eamonn, what’ll it be today? Will you have happy or grumpy coffee?”

A curious or odd question, you might think. But, let me explain.

In one of the 2 good cafés, all the servers tend to have smiles on their faces. They always seem happy to see new customers arrive. They greet every customer by name (it amazes me that they can do this for what I assume must be a few hundred patrons). And they are ready to have a bit of friendly chat about what you’re doing or any news you’d like to share.

Meanwhile, there’s the other café. And I can describe it a single word: ‘Grumpyville!’

In this other world, you’ll rarely see a smile. The staff body language seems universally ‘off’ too! Yes, you’ll get whatever you order. Yes, you’ll hear the words ‘thank you’ once you’ve paid for whatever you buy. But, no, you’ll never get the sense that your server means it. Few words will be spoken. Attempts at idle banter will be met with stony silence, indifference or bewilderment. My sense is that the staff in this café simply doesn’t want to be there. And guess what? Despite their awesome coffee, I feel the same way!

So, no prizes for guessing which of these establishments I prefer. The only time I’ll visit ‘Les Miserables’ is when the other café is closed and I crave a coffee break pre a late evening in the office.

But what’s this got to do with public speaking?

Actually, quite a bit. And here’s why.

If your audience gets any sense that you don’t care about what you say, they’re virtually certain to feel the same way.

Sure, your words and arguments count. But, so does your attitude.

Why You Must Never Skimp on Passion When You Speak

As a speaker, you must always crave and earn emotional connection with your audience if you want to sway their hearts and minds.

Here’s the thing. Experience shows that a so-so argument delivered with passion will win the day time and again ahead of a great argument where the speaker lacks empathy with his or her audience.

Of course, if you can marry a terrific argument with a large dollop of passion, the chances of you being on to a winner are immense.

And the moral of this story is simple. Just as customers vote with their feet for better buying experiences…

… Audiences vote with their attention and hearts for those who make them feel ‘something that matters’ is going on and that they should do something about it.

So, every time you step up to a podium, make it obvious that you really care.