5 COMBINATION OF TRAITS EVERY SPEAKER SHOULD HAVE

I always believe in this.

There must be some good traits in all of us.

What is a trait in the first place? Most definition found define trait as characteristic or quality possess by a person. Traits will determine how a person behaves and how a person does things. Good traits are obviously better than bad traits.

Take a teacher for an example. A good teacher must be a dedicated person. Meanwhile a judge should be a fair judge. And a good father needs to be a responsible dad. These traits are important to have in order to be successful in their jobs and in their life.

What about a public speaker or a presenter? Do you need to have certain traits to be a better speaker? Yes, of course you do. There are actually many positive traits that every speaker should have. So, which one of those traits is the most important?

Don’t worry. I have combined those traits and came out with a list. Here are the 5 combination of traits that you should have in doing what you love the most; public speaking.

1) Knowledgeable and Skilful

According to Benjamin Franklin, “An investment in knowledge always pays the best interest”.

I guess that is why we love to listen to speeches. We want to learn, get some information, listening to experiences and gain knowledge.

As a speaker, these two traits combined; knowledgeable and skilful shall prove your credibility. As we all know, the reasons for speakers to give a speech or a presentation is to convey message to the audience. The speaker must have something to share with the audience. Therefore, as a speaker, you must be knowledgeable and skilful. You should be knowledgeable of the topic that you are going to talk about. You must also have some area of expertise.

Do not ever speak without knowledge. Every good speaker knows that it is a responsibility to share accurate information and useful insights with others. Knowledge that you share with others should come from learning process, research and real life experience. For instance; how are you supposed to give a speech about ‘How to Be a Great Tennis Player’ if you have never played tennis before in your entire life?

Being skilful is also an important trait for a speaker. You need to be skilful in the area you are going to talk about (for example, playing tennis) and also public speaking. Even if you have great knowledge, achievements and wide experience from playing tennis, you ought to know how to get the message across. You must be good at doing the presentation and giving a speech too.

2) Efficient and Well-Organised

A good speaker must not only know how to speak on stage. A speaker must also be efficient in anything related to the presentations. The speaker must know how to use the visual aids, microphone and have a bit of knowledge of stage preparation. He or she must be ready with a backup plan to deal with any technical problems and fast in making necessary last minute decisions.

Every good speaker also needs to be well organised. I am not referring to a well-organised speech even though it is still significant. What I am referring to here is being well-organised as a whole. Being a well-organised person is a good trait for a speaker. 

Every speaker must have excellent time management. He or she must always be on time and be well-prepared for the speech presentation. These traits; efficient and well- organised shall make the speech presentation go smoothly thus portray a positive image of the speaker.

3) Empathetic and Supportive

Another combination of traits that every speaker should have is being empathetic and supportive towards the audience. A good speaker must be observant and have an open mind. Listen to your audience, understand what they are looking for and give them what they seek. They came to listen to you for a reason.

Always be supportive to your listeners. Encourage them to open up, urge them to ask questions and allow them to give suggestions. Inspire your audience to change for the better and motivate them to take action. Remember it is not about you. It is about your audience. As a speaker, you can play a big role in helping someone change their mind-sets and lead a much better life.

4) Honest and Sincere   

In my personal opinion, these are the combination of traits that are very close to my heart. I strongly believe that no matter how good you are as a speaker, you will never be great without these two traits. Honesty and sincerity build a great character in a person. A speaker who is honest and sincere will definitely earn the trust and respect from others. 

As a speaker, you must deliver a speech with a sincere heart. Do it with the intention to help others by sharing great message and useful information. It should not be to gain popularity or for your own personal interest. Do not lie or mislead your audience. Share with them the truth. Be honest.

5) Charismatic and lively

Have you ever met a speaker who lights up the room whenever he or she comes into the room? Have you ever listened to a speaker who is full of positive energy that brings smiles to all the faces?

A good speaker should have a positive personality and an optimistic outlook in life. Your audience will always like someone who can make them feel good and entertain them.

Every speaker should be charismatic and lively. They should be charming, captivating and interesting. The way a speaker speaks influence the audience a lot. If you are always negative when you speak, people will be reluctant to listen to you. Present yourself well, be energetic when you speak and have a cheerful mood.

Now ask yourself…

Do I have what it takes? Do I have all the traits that were mentioned?

If you do, then I should be the first to congratulate you. You have all the combinations of traits every speaker should have so I wish you all the success.

If you don’t have all the traits mentioned, do not worry about it. 

You can still gain as much knowledge as you can and become knowledgeable. 
You can train yourself to be skilful in no time. 
You can start being more organised and be more efficient. 
You can start thinking about others and what you can do for them. 
You can learn to be more empathetic and supportive. You can also practice how to look more charismatic and how to smile more often.

And lastly, you can just be yourself and be the speaker that you are meant to be :)

Written by: Intan Salwana Anis

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