This is an era of great psychological studies. Psychologists have bravely jumped in to quantify things they previously thought were unquantifiable or simply not researchable in general.

A case in point is a recent study, published in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology (http://bit.ly/1vwGVHw).  The study found that if you told yourself that a character trait you had – and that you perceived as negative – actually had a positive aspect, then the mental gymnastic trick improved your real performance in that area. So, for instance, if you thought that you were impulsive, but told yourself that “impulsive people are more creative,” then you actually became more creative.

Now, I love this study because it’s so useful for public speakers. We all struggle with various failings as speakers – we talk too fast, we get nervous, we forget what we’re going to say, we’re too big-picture oriented, and weak on the details, we’re too detailed, and weak on the big picture – the list is endless.

Now we can set about finding the silver character lining in those failings. We can turn them all into strengths. That lack of preparation becomes a great ability to Improv in the moment! That tendency to get carried away and forget to stop at the end of the allotted time becomes deep passion for the subject!

I’ve used this idea intuitively for years in my coaching, because I’ve noted that what appears to be a speaker’s weaknesses often, if embraced, turn out to contain the seeds of their unique voice – the quirk that enables them to stand out from everyone else and really hit the big time.

One speaker I’ve worked with for a number of years, for example, initially seemed geeky and awkward, but that very geekiness turned out to be the key to embracing his passion and allowing it to come out in ways that powerfully engages his audiences.

Another speaker’s bull-in-a-china-shop personality turned out to make him perfect for big crowds and motivational events. Rather than trying to tone him down and turn him into Mr. Sensitive, the bigger venues and rah-rah events fit him and vice versa.

My own biggest weakness, which I’m working on turning into a positive, is that I’m an emotional speaker. I realized this flaw recently reviewing some tapes of speeches I’d given this year. If I connect early on with an audience, and feel one with them, I’m strong right out of the box. If I don’t know my audience well enough, then I come across as too formal or even stern. I saw both the positive and negative sides of this trait in talks earlier this year. One I had to fly in just before the speech, and I joined the conference already in progress. I missed the chance to chat with the audience and get to know them. And I didn’t get a chance to connect with the conference organizer as I usually do. As a result, I was less engaged right from the start. My jokes fell a bit flat, coming from a serious, reserved emotional stance. I could see myself struggling on the video — like Putin trying to do stand up comedy.

On the second speech, I already had established a great relationship with the conference organizer. I got in to the venue the night before, had a chance to test the room and audio, and talk about the audience with several of the staff including the organizer. I knew the group and was primed to talk with them. On the day, the group and I were laughing from the start, and the whole event went like a dream.

So how to turn that emotionalism into a positive? I’m going to tell myself how much I care about the audience. That will improve the feeling of connection, which will improve my actual sense of connectedness, which will improve the speech experience for all.