Speaker Sparkle (Engage Your Presence)

I have a friend who spends over 200 days a year on the road—flying around the world to deliver keynotes and training.

His schedule is like something from that George Clooney movie “Up in the Air.” My friend has all the frequent flier cards and personalized service consistent with someone who racks up a million miles semi-regularly.

What I find intriguing is his Speaker Sparkle.

Speaker Sparkle is the ability to show up time and time again with a game face. Like professional athletes who bounce back from a loss, speaker sparkle is the commitment to showing up 100% when facing an audience.

It’s presence. It’s rapport. It’s intentionality.

Off the stage or outside of the classroom, my friend is what I’d call an extreme introvert. No late nights. No big parties. He doesn’t even drink coffee!

And then - when it’s game time - Speaker Sparkle.

Speaker Sparkle is the all-in of public speaking—Intentionality and presence. It’s the flexibility to pivot to audience needs. It’s the ability to create meaningful connections using wit and humor. Deeper—it’s clarity of thought and communication.

Speaker Sparkle shows in body language and tone of voice. It draws you in, making you feel like you’re the most important, unique audience on earth. Speaker Sparkle moves your feeling from ‘I am just another audience’ to the sense that the only thing that matters in the world right now is you.

Focus.

Attention.

Presence.

So how do you increase your own Speaker Sparkle? What does it look like for you to be fully present and engaged?

• Invite connections early: Ask questions, and give people space to reply verbally (or mentally) in the first 5 minutes.
  

• Engage reflection: Slow down. Give people space to think and unravel and dig deeper. Do this often.
  

• Increase your non-verbal communication: Lean forward. Step back. Look around the room. Use your hands – palms up, hands out, emphasis engaged.
  

• Preplan using mindset: Picture yourself in the room early. How do you want to engage? What sort of energy do you want to bring? What are you hoping people will be thinking/feeling/doing during your time together?
  

• Amplifying Mirroring: People mirror people. It’s true—If you’re sitting across from someone at a table, sharing a coffee, and they tilt their head, usually you’ll mirror their body language too. Or emotions—people reflect emotions, both positive and negative. So amplify your actions or feelings of intentional presence and focus, inviting your audience to mirror that connection.
  

• Remember, curiosity is your best friend. Be curious about others. Be curious about topics. Be curious about answers.

So, what do you need to tweak to be present this week? What will help you share your own Speaker Sparkle?

 And what would you add to the list above? What helps keep you fully present, fully engaged, and entirely focused?