quotation as eloquence

A common misconception about effective public speaking in front of your team is that you, the speaker, have to be a Charismatic Author-Genius whose very own eloquent words do most of the work. And yes, getting good at writing for a live audience is a worthy pursuit. But if you act as if that’s the whole game, you miss a move that’s arguably much easier to master and can do more for you and for your audience.

Quote the eloquent / sharp / wise words of others.

You can reap a double benefit by doing this: 1) the words are eloquent/wise/sharp and 2) you yourself look eloquent/wise/sharp AND appropriately humble as well. You’re not purporting to be a genius yourself - you’re curating and sharing the genius of others for the benefit of the group.

I find this move can take you especially far if you “quote” your teammates. Attribute good ideas to individuals who contributed to them; don’t just point at data on a slide - cite the young leader whose team generated that data or did the work it represents.

Bring your people with you up there on stage, even if just by name.

-Eric