By Dr. Norma Hollis
The best speakers I have met over 30 years in the industry are those who show up as the same person on stage as they are in life. They come across authentic. They know themselves, have the confidence to be themselves and therefore show up very naturally on stage, just by being authentic.
When I owned my bureau, I met many speakers who shared with me the name of the speaker they most admire. Then later, when I asked them to speak for me, they tried to speak like the person they admire. It just doesn’t work. You have to be yourself on stage. Your audience will know if you are not being authentic so be authentic right from the start.
What is your authentic speaking style? By style, what I am referring to is how you show up on stage. What’s the level of your energy? How do you move? Do you use your hands? How to you play with your voice? How do you manage your slides? What’s on the slides? Do you engage with your audience? How?
All of these play a role is identifying your speaking style. The most authentic way I know to coach you to your style without speaking with you directly is to suggest that you record yourself. You want to gain both audio and video recordings. For the audio, when you are speaking with one of the people you are closest to, record the conversation. Let your friend know you are doing it and why, which is to be aware of the words and phrases you frequently say. What slang words do you use, what phrases do you repeat frequently? How is your energy and what makes it change? What does your laugh sound like? How well do you listen? How well do you enunciate your words? What words do you use most often?
All of these observations will help you to recognize how you speak authentically. Then you can consider what parts of your authenticity you want to include in your speaking style.
Also videotape yourself. Have someone record you on stage or record when you are in the presence of others. You want to see how you look on camera when you are in your natural state. Do you smile? Is your language pleasant or is it natural for you to be a little sour? How do you walk? How do you hold a microphone?
As you assess your audio and video recordings, you will find parts of yourself that you like and parts that you do not like. Take the parts you like, expand on them, and you have your signature style that is authentic to who you are. Align your on-stage appearance with who you are off stage, and you have the path to your signature speaking style.

Norma Hollis is the first Black woman to own a speaker bureau for Black speakers. Through bureau ownership and now as the owner of the human development company Authenticity U, Norma has learned a great deal about the speaking business and how to navigate it in alignment with your authentic voice. Norma is the creator of multiple books, assessments, programs and certifications to activate authenticity within individuals and organizations globally. She is an international speaker and coach. Join her each 2nd Tuesday for a complimentary hour of Activating Authenticity. Register at this link: https://authenticityu.info/activating