Who said when you speak to an audience you should speak to them so well that even the most?

If you are looking for a quote about public speaking then you may find one here. Over the years I have collected a huge number of public speaking quotes. Rather than have them stuck on post-it notes, I thought I’d collate them into a blog post and share.

Table of Contents Show

Public Speaking Quotes on Success
Public Speaking Quotes on Clarity
Public Speaking Quotes on Planning
Public Speaking Quotes on Authenticity
Public Speaking Quotes on Nervousness
About Lisa Evans
Preparation – The Key to Successful Speaking...
How to Structure Your Presentation
Achieving Clarity and Impact
Reinforce Your Message With Visual Aids
Arranging the Room
Tips and Techniques

I have collected these public speaking quotes from various books, sites and articles and I have attributed each quote to the correct author, to the best of my knowledge.

Have a public speaking quote to share that is not on this list? Let me know.

Public Speaking Quotes on Success

“Speech is power: speech is to persuade, to convert, to compel.” Ralph Waldo Emerson.
“The goal of effective communication should be for listeners to say ‘Me too!’ versus ‘So what?” Jim Rohn.
“To sway an audience, you must watch them as you speak.” C. Kent Wright.
“All speaking is public speaking, whether it’s to one person or a thousand.” Roger Love.
“Words do two major things: they provide food for the mind and create light for understanding and awareness.” Jim Rohn.
“Light travels faster than sound. That’s why certain people appear bright until you hear them speak.” Albert Einstein.
“Effective communication is 20% what you know and 80% how you feel about what you know.” Jim Rohn.
“Communication works for those who work at it.” John Powell.
“It’s the space you put between the notes that make the music.” Massimo Vignelli.
“Be sincere, be brief, be seated.” Franklin Roosevelt.
“Make sure you have stopped speaking before your audience has stopped listening.” Dorothy Sarnoff.
“If it takes a lot of words to say what you have in mind, give it more thought.” Dennis Roth.
“A wise man speaks because he has something to say; a fool speaks because he has to say something.” Plato.
“No one ever complains about a speech being too short!” Ira Hayes.
“Speeches measured by the hour die with the hour.” Thomas Jefferson.
“Be still when you have nothing to say; when genuine passion moves you, say what you’ve got to say, and say it hot.” D. H. Lawrence.
“There are three things to aim at in public speaking: first, to get into your subject, then to get your subject into yourself, and lastly, to get your subject into the heart of your audience.” Alexander Gregg.
“Well-timed silence hath more eloquence than speech.” Martin Fraquhar Tupper.
“Words have incredible power. They can make people’s hearts soar, or they can make people’s hearts sore.” Dr. Mardy Grothe.
“Speakers who talk about what life has taught them never fail to keep the attention of their listeners.” Dale Carnegie.
“To communicate, we must realize that we are all different in the way we perceive the world, and use this understanding as a guide to our communication with others.” Tony Robbins.
“Think like a wise man but communicate in the language of the people.” William Butler Yeats.
“All the great speakers were bad speakers at first.” Ralph Waldo Emerson.
“Your ability to communicate with others will account for fully 85% of your success in your business and in your life.” Brian Tracy.
“The success of your presentation will be judged not by the knowledge you send but by what the listener receives.” Lilly Walters.

Public Speaking Quotes on Clarity

“The problem with speeches isn’t so much not knowing when to stop, as knowing when not to begin.” Frances Rodman.
“Many attempts to communicate are nullified by saying too much.” Robert Greenleaf.
“A talk is a voyage with purpose and it must be charted. The man who starts out going nowhere, generally gets there.” Dale Carnegie.
“If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough.” Albert Einstein.
“Speak clearly, if you speak at all. Carve every word before you let it fall.” Oliver Wendell Holmes.
“If you don’t know what you want to achieve in your presentation your audience never will.” Harvey Diamond.
“When speaking in public, your message – no matter how important – will not be effective or memorable if you don’t have a clear structure.” Patricia Fripp.
“Simple and to the point is always the best way to get your point across.” Guy Kawasaki.

Public Speaking Quotes on Planning

“It usually takes me more than three weeks to prepare a good impromptu speech.” Mark Twain.
“Only the prepared speaker deserves to be confident.” Dale Carnegie.
“90% of how well the talk will go is determined before the speaker steps on the platform.” Somers White.
“If you want me to speak for an hour, I am ready today. If you want me to speak for just a few minutes, it will take me a few weeks to prepare.” Mark Twain.
“There are always three speeches, for every one you actually gave. The one you practiced, the one you gave, and the one you wish you gave.” Dale Carnegie.
“Begin with the end in mind.” Dr Stephen R. Covey.

Public Speaking Quotes on Authenticity

“You can speak well if your tongue can deliver the message of your heart.” John Ford.
“The best speeches come from the heart and reflect your passion. Speak as if your life depended on it.” Rave Robinson.
“The more you do speak from the heart, rather than thumping the agenda, people will listen or relate or open themselves up more.” Drew Barrymore.

Public Speaking Quotes on Nervousness

“It’s alright to have butterflies in your stomach. Just get them to fly in formation.” Rob Gilbert.
“Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak, and to sit down and listen.” Winston Churchill.
“The human brain starts working the moment you are born and never stops… until you stand up to speak in public.” George Jessel.
“You are not being judged, the value of what you are bringing to the audience is being judged.” Seth Godin.
“Picture yourself in a living room having a chat with your friends. You would be relaxed and comfortable talking to them, the same applies when public speaking.” Richard Branson.
“If you’re not comfortable with public speaking – and nobody starts out comfortable; you have to learn how to be comfortable – practice. I cannot overstate the importance of practicing. Get some close friends or family members to help evaluate you, or somebody at work that you trust.” Hilary Clinton.
“Best way to conquer stage fright is to know what you’re talking about.” Michael H. Mescon.
“If it scares you it may be a good thing to try.” Seth Godin.

I’m keen to hear what public speaking quotes you would like to see added to this list.

You may like to read about how to define your speaking topic as an emerging speaker or some thoughts on how to become a public speaker, or some tips on how to give a TEDx talk.

About Lisa Evans

Lisa Evans helps professionals to craft compelling business stories and become exceptional speakers. Lisa is a certified speaker coach, TEDx speaker coach, four times author, NLP practitioner, graphic recorder and visual storyteller, and improvisational actor.

She has coached thousands of leaders across a range of industries, including resources, banking, finance, engineering, retail and sales as well as not-for-profit and community associations.

If you wish to take advantage of a complimentary session in order to chat about how you can become an exceptional and successful speaker with a stand-out brand, then use this link to book a time to chat. Download my new E-book How to Build Confidence and Overcome Nervousness.

Get your message across, easily.

Speaking to an audience can be fun and exciting. However, lack of preparation or not clearly defining the presentation's goals and its audience can make even the best-intended presentation a complete disaster.

So how can you avoid this?

Preparation – The Key to Successful Speaking...

To ensure your presentation is effective, first determine your objective. Ask yourself:

Why am I giving the presentation?
What do I want the audience to take away from the presentation?

Second, determine your audience. Their familiarity with the presentation topic will determine the level at which you present your speech.

How to Structure Your Presentation

Once you have determined your presentation's objective and overall goal, as well as the audience, it's time to structure your presentation. You will need to start this process by determining the length of the presentation.

Take the allotted time and break it into smaller segments, with each segment tackling a specific task (all of which reflect the overall objective of the presentation). For example, the fist segment should be the presentation introduction. In this segment, you should give an overview of your presentation, or a short summary of your speech, explaining the topic, why you are covering this topic, and what you hope to accomplish.

The next segment should tackle the first item on your agenda, with the following segment tackling the following item on your agenda, and so on.

Once you have developed the introduction and outlined the following segments, spend some time thinking about the conclusion of the presentation. The introduction of the presentation and the conclusion of the presentation are the most important parts and should have the strongest impact.

Achieving Clarity and Impact

Keep your presentation short and simple. Your audience will not remember every point of your presentation, so highlight the most important parts. The longer the presentation, the higher the risk of boredom.

When in doubt, use the "tell 'em" structure:

Tell them what you are going to tell them (For instance, "In this presentation I will show you.").
Tell them the key points, expanding and illustrating each one, clearly and concisely.
Tell them what you have told them (For instance, "In closing." or "In summary.") and conclude.

Reinforce Your Message With Visual Aids

Next, consider the use of visual aids. Slide projectors, data projectors, video machines and computers should be tested out beforehand to make sure they are operating correctly and that you know how to use them.

Make sure you do not cram too much information onto any single visual. A good rule of thumb to follow is to keep each visual to six lines or less. Also, make sure any type or graphics are large enough the audience can see it clearly (from all seats) and make sure the colors used are easy on the eyes, taking into account the lighting.

A sad fact is that much of your authority will be judged by the quality of your slides – you need to make sure that their design supports the style of your message.

Overheads should be clearly marked and arranged in order beforehand. Flip charts should be prepared in advance when possible. When used during the presentation to take notes, make print large enough for all participants to see.

When using these various visuals, do not turn your back to the audience. Position yourself so you can use the visuals while facing your audience.

Arranging the Room

If possible, visit the room in which you will make the presentation well in advance. Determine seating (circle seating encourages interaction, rows of seats discourages interaction, etc.) and determine how the visual aids you choose will work. Consider lighting, space, even the temperature of the room. Consider placing notepads and pencils at each seat if participants need to take notes. Or, you may want to have glasses at each seat with a few pitchers of water if the presentation is going to last more than half of an hour. If you do this, make sure you allow time for bathroom breaks.

While you do not need to memorize your entire presentation, make yourself very, very familiar with it through several practice runs. Rehearse the presentation in its entirety as often as you can before delivering it to a live audience. The more you rehearse, the more confident you will be and the more fluent you will seem to your audience – if you know your subject matter and have adequately prepared, you will be able to deliver your message loud and clear.

When in doubt or nervous, stay focused on your purpose – helping your audience understand your message. Direct your thoughts to the subject at hand. The audience has come to hear your presentation and you will succeed!

Tips and Techniques

Tips to help make your presentation a smashing success:

Avoid too many statistics and confusing information in your presentation. Instead, put this information in a handout for participants to refer to at a later date.
If you forget your words, pause for a moment and remember your objective. While the words may not come right back to you, this will help keep you on track and may even help you to think of additional thoughts and ideas your audience will benefit from hearing.
Visualize yourself succeeding.
Begin by breathing.
Before the presentation, focus on the needs of the audience.
Take a public speaking course at a local college or university. These are oftentimes offered as night courses and are usually very inexpensive, while providing you with important skills that will enhance your confidence in this area.
Videotape yourself going through the presentation. All you need to do this is a video camera and a tripod. Then, run through the video and make changes according to your thoughts on the taped presentation.

Many of these points are summarized in our Presentation Planning Checklist.