Developing Dynamism

Grice and Skinner note that "We enjoy listening to speakers who are energetic, vigorous, exciting, inspiring, spirited, and stimulating." And, while these traits are not sufficient for excellence in speaking, every competent public speaker strives to be perceived as dynamic.

Perhaps the best way to convey dynamism is to have a genuine interest in both your topic and your audience. When you are authentic and real, your dynamism is naturally present.

Allow your nervousness to catapult you to a heightened sense of awareness of your surrounding and your audience.

Embrace your nervousness. Practice gestures, movements, and using visual aids to add interest to your talk.

Demonstrating dynamism
Dynamism requires that you let go of your self-consciousness and focus instead upon your audience and your message.

One of the most dynamic speakers was President John F. Kennedy. Consider his ability to connect with his audience at the Berlin Wall in West Berlin, Germany in June 1963 when he declared "Ich bin ein Berliner"! President Kennedy's audience loved it, in spite of the fact that his German was far from perfect.

To read the text of President Kennedy's talk, go the BBC website at http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/june/26/newsid_3379000/3379061.stm and click on “play audio” to hear this speech. Or access the audio version at http://www.jfklibrary.org/speeches.htm, site of the JFK Library. Scroll down and click on “Remarks at the Rudolph Wilde Platz, June 26, 1963.”

Dynamism will attract and hold the attention of your audience. When combined with other features of credibility including expertise, trustworthiness, sincerity, and organization, you have the makings of a great speaker.