The ONE Secret to Being a Memorable Speaker

The ONE Secret to Being a Memorable Speaker

Read time: 2 minutes.

Picture this:

You attend a networking event or a party and meet a dozen people,

You’ll likely come back remembering 1 or 2 people out of everyone you met.

They stand out from the crowd.

So what is it about some people that makes them stand out and be memorable while others are forgotten?

and how can you become the type of person who has others gravitating towards you.

We all want to be remembered, to feel important.

It’s also incredibly useful to be memorable.

Being memorable could make all the difference in helping you:

Get the job or promotion,
Get the attention of your soulmate,
Get clients to pick you over your competitors.

But here’s the thing:

most people get it completely wrong.

I used to believe that I need to say more or be perfect with my delivery to make an impact.

The better the speaker I am, the more people will remember me ….

… right?

I need to have lots big words, or complex diagrams, use hand-gestures,

That will leave a lasting impression.

Well, that belief changed a few years ago when I attended a leadership summit.

The summit had some big names, people with big titles working at big companies.

Most of the speakers were up there for an hour, loaded with slides and stats.

They were all ‘great speakers.’

Great use of words, great stage presence, excellent voice.

But to be honest, most of them kind of blurred together.

Thinking of it now, I can’t remember what a single one of their presentations were about.

But then this guy got up to speak.

He may have been 5’6,
Had a bit of a high-pitched voice,
and he founded a company I had never heard of before.

He spoke for about 8 minutes about the importance of perspective.

No slides, no flashy presentation.
No showmanship in his speech, simple language,

He told a story about how he lost everything he had worked for because of his business partner betrayed him.

Just pure vulnerability.

He ended the speech by sharing how he overcame that time in his life and the lesson he learned it:

“Sometimes in life,

you might not get what you want …

but if you look closer,

you might have gotten what you needed instead.”

He emphasized us to look back at our life and think of all the things we thought at the time were terrible,

but now we’re glad they happened.

It’s been years since I heard him speak,

but guess what?

I still remember him and his message, enough to share it with you.

Why?

He had less time,
No fancy vocabulary,
No use of slides or visual aids.

Shouldn’t this have made him a worse speaker?

No.

I remembered him simply because:

He made me feel something.

He made me feel his experience and emotion going through it.

That stuck with me, long after I forgot everyone else’s data-packed presentations.

So here’s what I learned about being a ‘memorable speaker’

1. It’s Not About the Words - The most memorable speakers often say the least. It’s not about the quantity of words but the feeling behind them.
   

2. Perfection Is Overrated - Perfect is forgettable. Real, honest, and even a little messy, that’s what sticks.
   

3. Big Words Don’t Equal Big Impact - Using complex language can actually push people away. The best speakers make their message simple, relatable, and emotional.

TLDR: 3 things to do to become a memorable speaker:

1. Share a Real Story - Tell a story that means something to you—a story that makes you feel something when you tell it.

2. Connection Over Perfection - Don’t stress about delivering the perfect speech. Speak from the heart.

3. Focus on Emotion, Not Information - Instead of worrying about cramming in every piece of info, think about how you want your audience to feel.


—Yasir Khan