In five years as a professional public speaking and charisma trainer I’ve had the honor to experience and evaluate more than 3,000 speeches. In these moderated evaluation rounds I only use positive (PLUS) and constructive (PLUSPLUS) feedback.
Having listened to all those speeches about life, emotions, motivation, business and other topics I’ve learned one thing. My biggest lesson learned is the power of transparency.
Whenever someone opened up, showed transparency, vulnerability, his or her most inner self – always, always, always the audience considered it as positive – PLUS!
When you’re emotionally transparent you connect on the emotional level. What more can you achieve? That’s why I consider transparency the number one connector.
But I cannot, I DO NOT WANT to share intimate stuff with others. This is a common hurdle many put in front of themselves. They anticipate an audience reaction that would never ever occur. But since they never try and open up, they keep living with false assumptions.
Again – not once emotional transparency was considered as negative in my trainings. Not in Spain, not in Germany, not in Poland, not in Switzerland, not in the US, in none of the 15 sectors or 37 clients I worked for, in none of the three languages I use – never! Be more transparent in your speeches and presentations and you’ll connect more with your audience.
Use The Transparency Map to dig out your gold coins of connection. It’s a great exercise to reflect on different positive and not so positive emotions in your life. Add them here and there in your public speeches and you’ll feel the power of the number one audience connector – transparency.