More than half a century after his untimely and cruel death, President John F Kennedy is still remembered and lauded today as one of the most compelling public speakers in history.

But that wasn’t always the case.

According to historians/journalists and authors Robert Dallek and Robert Caro, John F Kennedy was far from being an engaging or effective public speaker when he first took to the political stage in the late 1940s. Rather, many found him to be a ‘dull, uninspiring, lacking in wit, and forgettable’ speaker!

Wow. Does that surprise you? Makes you wonder what he did to become a speaking colossus, right?

If, like many, you thought that his now famous speaking acumen was down to being a ‘natural’ or having innate God given talents that earned him countless plaudits, including the following:

“JFK: More than words…Stirring, immaculate, sublime” — Brian Murphy, Former Speechwriter to 2 Irish Prime Ministers

“A source of soaring visions…that feel immediate, new, and exciting…summoning a generation to service and a nation to greatness…a quick wit with light touch” —President Barack Obama

“He was a patriot who summoned patriotism from the heart of a sated country” — President Ronald Reagan

Guess what? It turns out that’s wrong. His skills were borne of combining a fondness for storytelling with incessant practice and a learned mastery of rhetorical skills.

And as you think about this for a second, there’s good news in this realisation:

If JFK could find ways to go from being a ‘who cares’ speaker into a ‘world-class orator who could cast a spell over his audiences’, so can you!

To learn more about what he did to make this jump – check out the following review of one his most celebrated speeches, including 4 things he injected into most every talk he gave in his political prime to win audiences over.

Secrets JFK Used to Make One of The Most Memorable Speeches of All Time

Discover essential tactics President John F Kennedy used to craft talks that truly connected with his audiences:

1. Always aim to win attention immediately – Don’t wait to hook your audience; do it from the very start. And start with a simple and compelling message versus a clever or sophisticated opening.
2. Make your audience feel important – Talks which speak to how things could be for your audience “if only ____ ” (fill in the blank) and how they are pivotal to making this happen are powerful because the audience feels invested and involved.
3. Give your audience a job to do – Connect the dots at the end of your speeches to leave your audience in no doubt about what they should do after you stop speaking and why it matters.
4. Use storytelling techniques to up audience engagement – Used well, stories that leverage proven story development structure are powerful. In fact, they are your number one ticket to heightened audience engagement and connection.

And on The Topic of Learning How to Speak Memorably…

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Photo credit: NASA