Philipp Humm

I Read 31 Public Speaking Books. Here’s What I Learned

September 17, 2024

Over the past 10 years, I’ve read 31 books on public speaking. Every time, I noted down the single most important insight from each book.

Now, to save you hours of reading, I’m sharing the 5 biggest insights I gained from this journey.

Let’s dive in!

Insights from Reading 31 Public Speaking Books

Insight #1

Imagine standing in a beautiful wedding venue, and you’ve just been asked to give a speech. Panic sets in, and you think, “Why did I agree to this?”

Just then, the best man comes over, sees your anxiety, and says, “Ah, don’t worry. Just be yourself. Stay calm, and you’ll be fine.”

That is terrible advice.

We’ve all been told to “just relax,” “stay calm,” or “be yourself.” And we all know, it rarely works. When we try to force calmness, we usually become even more anxious.

But there’s something else you can do.

In 2014, Harvard Business School professor Alison Wood Brooks conducted an intriguing experiment. She asked 140 students to give a 2-3 minute speech on why they’d be a good work partner. However, she split them into two groups with one crucial difference:

Group 1 was told to say, “I’m calm.”
Group 2 was told to say, “I’m excited.”
The results? Participants who said, “I’m excited” were rated as more persuasive, confident, and competent than those who said, “I’m calm.”

Insight #1: Reframe anxiety as excitement.

Next time you’re feeling nervous, don’t try to push it away. Instead, embrace it. Tell yourself, “I’m excited!” Repeat it out loud: “I’m excited, I’m excited, I’m excited!”

Just like waves in the ocean, nerves will come, but instead of fighting them, learn to ride them.

Let’s now move to the second insight from reading 31 books on public speaking.

Insight #2

There are two types of people: Givers and Takers.

For much of my life, I was a Taker. Every time I gave a presentation, I wanted something in return—applause, admiration, or sales. But my presentations were just okay, never great.

People are sensitive to social cues. They can tell if you genuinely want to help them or if you’re only focused on what you can get.

Insight #2: Show up with a Giver’s Mindset.

I learned this from Simon Sinek, author of Start with Why.

Givers want to help, inspire, and change their audience’s perspective.

Here’s how I shifted from being a Taker to a Giver:

  1. Before every presentation, I repeat in my head: “You’re here to give.”
  2. I focus on how I can help my audience.
    • Am I helping them solve a problem?
    • Encouraging healthier habits?
    • Bringing joy to their day?
    • I even visualize a specific person in the audience who will benefit from what I share. This fills me with a warm sense of gratitude, and it completely changes the energy of my presentations.

Insight #3

Have you ever attended a lecture, loved the speaker, thought the content was fascinating—only to forget most of it the next day?

The problem isn’t your memory; it’s the way content is taught.

Here’s how well people remember information:

  • Lecture: You remember only about 5% of what you hear.
  • Reading: Retention increases to about 10%.
  • Discussion: Discussing with a group boosts retention to 50%.
  • Practice by Doing: Actually doing the activity results in 75% retention.
  • Teaching Others: The most effective method. When you teach someone else, you retain about 90% of the information.

Insight #3: Turn students into teachers.

If you’re sharing something important during a presentation, don’t just rush to the next point. Ask your audience to turn to a neighbor and explain the concept they just learned. This makes the content stick with them for life.

And after watching this video, I challenge you to share what you’ve learned with the next person you see. You’ll be amazed at how much more you’ll remember!

Insight #4

During my time as a consultant at Bain & Company, I spent 90% of my time creating PowerPoint presentations. I obsessed over making them beautiful, but they were still average. Why?

Because I made my slides the protagonist of my presentations. I would turn my back to the audience, read off the slides, and hide in their shadow. And I wasn’t alone—most presenters do this.

Insight #4: You are the star, not your slides.

Your slides are there to enhance your presentation, not replace you. The audience is there to connect with your passion, personality, and presence.

Here’s how to take back the spotlight:

  1. Blank the screen more often. Don’t display slides all the time. When you’re telling a story or delivering a key message, turn the screen black (press “B”) or white (“W”).
  2. Replace text with images. We’re visual creatures. Adding relevant images can boost retention of your message from 10% to 65% after three days.
  3. Eliminate unnecessary details. Most slides are packed with text, graphs, and data. Before your presentation, go through each slide and ask: “Would removing this change anything?” If not, cut it.

Insight #5

Two common mistakes at the end of a presentation:

  1. Ending with Q&A. This is risky because you don’t know what questions will come up. What if someone asks something hostile or rambles on? It can ruin your closing.
  2. Failing to plan a strong ending. Many presenters prepare a great opening and strong content, but they forget to think about how to close.

Insight #5: Finish with a killer closing.

After the Q&A, wrap up with a pre-planned statement that recaps your main points, leaves a positive impression, and includes a simple call-to-action.

For example:

“The last thing I want to leave you with is this: Show up with a giver’s mindset. Focus on helping others, and you’ll build trust, inspire those around you, and make a lasting positive impact. Show up to give. Thank you!”

Final Thoughts

There you have it—5 big insights from reading 31 books on public speaking.

But there’s more! If you want to give truly captivating speeches, check out my next article, where I share my favorite advanced public speaking techniques.

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