5 Ways to make your boring speech topic EXCITING!

“There are no boring speech topics. Just boring speakers.”

Oof! Did this feel like a punch to the gut if you speak on a “boring” topic?

This is a long-standing saying in public speaking, and one I wholeheartedly agree with!

There are people everywhere who speak on topics not typically thought of as riveting, and yet the audience is hooked on their every word. I remember a former business coach of mine telling me about a woman who does presentations on how to use Microsoft Excel. I bet your heart just skipped a beat with excitement!! I’m being facetious, but I was told this presenter delivers the information in such an engaging way. I’m also reminded of Dennis, the Chief Information Officer of the credit union I used to work for.

At company meetings, Dennis would discuss new software the company would soon be using, data security, compliance…basically, topics that instantly make me yawn just hearing them. However, he used to have me CAPTIVATED! I started looking forward to his part of the C-Suite presentations. Dennis was enthusiastic and spoke in a way that us non-techy employees could understand. He had my FULL attention.

If you’re worried about speaking on a “boring” topic, let me give you some advice for how to approach your next presentation.

1. Sound excited. I just mentioned how Dennis always exuded enthusiasm; that’s a big part of the reason he reeled me in. I can tell you right now that if YOU don’t sound happy to speak on your topic, then the audience won’t be happy to hear it. It’s mighty hard to convince an audience that you’re genuinely interested in your topic if you don’t sound like it. Your voice is your most powerful instrument as a speaker, and should especially be utilized in this situation. Use your vocal variety to the full extent – speak louder or softer, pick up the pace at times and slow it down at others, use purposeful pauses, and don’t forget about inflection. God forbid you sound like the teacher in Ferris Bueller’s Day Off! Let your face “speak” as well. There are six facial expressions that are most recognized around the world: happiness, sadness, surprise, disgust, fear, and anger. How you look and sound when presenting makes a big difference in audience reception of your material. YOU like your topic, so let your delivery convey that enthusiasm to your audience!
2. Share the love. Why do you love this topic? What interests you about it? Share that with your listeners! In other words, share why you care. When something doesn’t seem inherently exciting, it’s fascinating to learn why someone gravitated towards it. Think about starting your speech off with your “why” or weaving this into the body of the presentation. Or, you could also share a fun fact about this topic. What’s something people would be surprised to learn about this? When hosting public speaking workshops, I will often share with my audience that I HATED public speaking. This is definitely a shocker for many audience members! The public speaking trainer hated public speaking LOL. But it’s true. That’s actually what made me study and get trained in public speaking. I was not comfortable speaking in front of groups of people, and knew I needed to get help since I had been promoted to a new marketing position. I wanted to be a star at my job and not fail or be embarrassed. The rest is history. This insight grabs people’s attention and lets them in on my “why” for wanting to see others SLAY any speaking opportunities they have!
3. Use stories. Who doesn’t love a good story? They’re not just for children; adults love them just as much. Stories can truly make what looks like a dry topic on the surface come to life. If you speak on data entry best practices, tell about the time the number of zeros entered incorrectly in the system nearly caused a massive lawsuit for an organization. I’m sure ears will perk up at that! Stories not only entertain us, but also teach us important lessons. What’s happened recently in the past year that you can tell the tale about? What happened a few years ago that’s still relevant to your message? Pull these stories out of your mind and make them vivid for your audience, so they feel like they are there. Don’t just “present the information;” make it an impactful experience they’ll be glad they were there for.
4. Get creative. Ever since I was a child, I’ve loved for my birthday cakes to have lots of beautiful colorful roses on top. Add some rainbow sprinkles, and my heart will burst! Now, the cake will still taste the same with or without the buttercream roses and sprinkles. I know this, butttt…those two extra items take the cake from here to waaaay up there for me (picture me standing on my tippy toes, raising my hand as far as I can in the air). In other words, the little things really do matter. It’s the same thing for your speech. If you don’t think your topic is inherently interesting to most people, consider what creative elements you can employ to make it “pop” more. It doesn’t have to be anything crazy – visual aids like photos, videos, images or even doing demonstrations work well. Whatever you use, it needs to make sense for your presentation. Don’t just incorporate elements gratuitously; they should be both interesting and provide value. When thinking creatively, what about using a theme to present on your topic? For example, if you speak about surveillance or digital privacy – what about using a song title theme to introduce each of your three major points? Think Rockwell’s “Somebody’s watching me,” The Police’s “Every breath you take,” or Kanye West’s “Big Brother.” You’d be amazed what you can come up with.
5. Help yourself to humor. Don’t underestimate the power of humor in your presentations. When I talk about humor, I don’t want your mind to automatically go to telling jokes in your speech. That joke you found on the internet may go over well, or it may just get you a few “courtesy” chuckles if a lot of the audience has heard it already. That’s the problem with jokes off the web. You don’t know who’s heard it. Think about how you can uncover the humor instead. Because it’s already there. For example, address the elephant in the room: “Hey, I know you’ve been saying to yourself ‘I can’t WAIT to attend a workshop on Standard Operating Procedures.’ Especially on a Friday!” Self-deprecating humor works too: “Budget forecasting sounded glamorous when I first heard about it… and then I realized it’s basically predicting the future with fewer guarantees than a weather forecast. At least meteorologists get clouds to point at.” I tell my clients that REAL LIFE is funny. There really is no reason to insert a random joke when the truth is better than something made up! Comedians are masters at this. They discuss real life observations in their routines. Don’t worry about the humor – it’s there if you look.

I would love to know which one of these tips you found the most valuable. Also, do you speak on a self-described “boring” topic? I’d love to know what it is!

If you’ve got a high stakes presentation coming up that you need to nail (and not sure how to do it), let’s hop on a discovery call. You can schedule your complimentary call here. You have one time to make a great first impression, so let’s explore how you can achieve it!