In my ongoing occasional series on the persona that a speaker presents to the audiences she addresses, I’ve talked about finding the right balance of warmth and expertise, as well as a touch of humor.  Those attributes, in the right mix for each individual, form an excellent basis for the beginning of a strong, unique speaking persona.

Now, let’s take the persona a few steps further.  It’s useful to think of a set of commitments that the speaker makes to the audience.  If these (implicit) commitments are adhered to, the audience will get a complete sense of a persona from the speaker, one that is memorable, effective, and well-rounded.

First, the speaker commits to understanding the audience well enough to know the audience’s challenges and demonstrating that understanding in an engaging way.  People want to be seen, and that means knowing their hopes and fears, their successes, and their stumbling blocks.  The speaker’s persona must encompass that, either through personal connection or deep empathy.

Second, the speaker commits to helping the audience with those challenges by showing expertise which can relevantly address them.  We will listen to a tax expert talk about changes in tax law with real interest if we think she can save us some money we’d otherwise give to the government.  The driest of subjects, in short, can be engaging if we see the discussion as helping us with a topic that is important to us – and if the speaker knows something about that subject.  When the time comes for a heart operation, a heart specialist is the one person we truly want in the room.

Third, the speaker commits to showing that she cares enough about the topic to address it passionately.  For an audience, passion demonstrates ‘skin in the game,’ and that’s essential or we won’t take the answers we hear seriously and personally.  The difference between passion and indifference here is everything.  With passion, we will tolerate many small gaffes and clumsinesses.  Without it, the whole speech will seem tedious, information-heavy, and uninteresting.

Fourth, the speaker commits to telling us enough of her personal story that we can understand why she has dedicated her professional life to the topic in question.  Half-way measures won’t work here in this authentic age.  We need the real story, not a resume-like list or a few superficial anecdotes.  On the other hand, we also don’t want too much information.  We have very sensitive radar to detect the difference, and a slight misstep along the lines of telling too much information causes us to check out almost immediately.  We want the story told with relevance, humility, and a touch of wit.  We want a speaker who can show kindness to herself, and to us.

Add these commitments up, deliver on them, and we will have a strong sense of a smart, trustworthy persona in you as our speaker.

When Al Gore and George Bush competed for the presidency in the US, there was some discussion of which man you would feel more comfortable having a beer with.  It’s a sadly simple-minded test for a role as important as the President of the United States, but at root it is a question of persona – what’s the right persona for the President?  We want expertise and passion, but we also want a sense that we are understood.  That’s the first commitment, and that’s where – at that moment – the beer came in.

All four commitments are important, and that’s the point.  How will you specifically address these important aspects of your persona as a public speaker?