The seven secrets of the greatest speakers in history | Richard Greene | TEDxOrangeCoast

It's 1903

and this extraordinary guy
named Teddy Roosevelt

is standing on the edge
of the Grand Canyon

and at that time people wanted
to create hotels and spas

and turn the Grand Canyon, in 1903,

intoa profit-making disneyland
of the environment.

And he stood and said no.

And he created a tipping point for
the environmental movement

and for the world.

He said: "leave it as it is.

the ages have been at work on it
and man can only mar it."

(Aplauses)

The world would have been
a different place today

without those words,
those tipping point words

from President Theodore Roosevelt.

Fast forward, his fifth cousin,
President Franklin Roosevelt,

30 years later - 1933 -
in the midst of a huge crisis,

the great Depression of America,
said a few words

to create a tipping point
towards healing for the USA.

"First of all. Let me assert my firm belief

that the only thing we have
to fear is fear itself,

nameless unreasoning
unjustified terror

which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance."

The world would have been
a different place

without those words, at that time,
from that man.

So, in my 30 years of studying public speaking

and great speeches,

I've found that
there are seven secrets

that great speakers do,
that other people don't.

and it's my belief that
every single human being

can be a great speaker
and that their words

can create a tipping point,

and that their words and their
essencecan change the world.

The first secret is about words
and understanding that words

can be the best,
the most amazing in the world

but they only actually touch
people and communicate

seven percent of the impact
that one human being has on another.

Voice tone, the variation
in your voice, the enthusiams,

the love, the passion that
comes through your voice,

38% percent your body language

are you looking into someone's eyes

or are you looking over their
head and not connected.

So words, voice tone
and body language,

those are the three vehicles,
the tree pathways

that great communication happens in.

Secret #4

What most people do, is that they throw so much datas out,

trying to prove that they are smart,

trying to get all the content out.

Words are the seven percent.

What is important is what is that one thing you want to leave people with?

What is that headline? That's what makes a great speech.

And that's what we are talking about today.

Secret #5 is fascinating.

If you are afraid or if any of you are afraid of public speeking,

41% of the World, across cultures,

is terrified almost to the point and often to the point

of actually turning down speaking appointements.

Wether they are political leaders, or business leaders or charitable leaders,

they turn down opportunities to shake the World,

because they are scared.

There are a lot of reasons why people are scared

but in my experience, the number One reason is:

that we don't know what public speaking really is.

We don't know the true definition.

The true definition of public speaking is

that public speaking is nothing more

than having a conversation from your heart,

about something you are authentically passionate about.

If you think it's a performance,

you are going to be a 0% you and a 100% actor,

we don't get to see and experience and feel who you are.

So, I want you to write the word "speech", down, on a piece of paper,

and I want you to put a circle around it.

and I want you to put a line through it.

I don't want you ever, ever to give an other speech.

That's not what great speakers do.

They don't give a speech, they don't give a performance,

they don't make a presentation to the audience,

they have what?

They have a conversation with, it's a circle.

It brings us all together, we are a web, connected to every other person.

And that's what great speakers do.

When I first met Princess Diana,

she looks me in the eye and says:

"You know I am so scared of public speaking and I wish that I could do what Charles does".

It was when they were actually breaking up so it was even more difficult for her to admit that.

And I said: "What does he do? "

"Well, he just stands up there and he tells these funny jokes and then he moves on."