10 Ways to be a Good Orator

Alexander Gregg the first bishop of Texas put it right, “There are three things to aim at in Public Speaking: first, get into your subject, then to get your subject into yourself, and lastly, to get your subject into the heart of the audience.” There are various qualities that need to be inculcated to become an efficient orator. In this blog,  let us explore10 ways to be a good orator along with some well-known orators of their era who resonated with the audience with powerful speeches.

Who is an Orator? 

An orator is a person who is a skilled public speaker. You don’t have to be a teacher, politician, or businessman to be a good orator. A good orator can be differentiated based on how powerful the speech is, how strongly it moves the audience, how captivating and connecting it is to the audience. The world needs powerful orators who have the ability to guide people in making a change. 

“Oratory is the masterful art. Poetry, painting, music, sculpture, architecture please, thrill, inspire – but oratory rules. The orator dominates those who hear him, convinces their reason, controls their judgment, compels their action. For the time being, he is master.” – David Josiah Brewer

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List of Top 10 Ways to be a Good Orator

Great orators are not born that way. They have practised and enhanced their oratory skills. To train yourself to become one of them, below are 10 ways to be a good orator: 

• Build Your Confidence 
• Communicate Wisely 
• Connect With Audience 
• Avoid Being Monotonous 
• Speak Within the Timeframe 
• Remember to Deliver Key Messages
• Break the Fourth Wall 
• Showcase Your Natural Self 
• Rehearse  to Become an effective Orator

Build your Confidence 

Confidence is an integral part of public speaking. Some people can adapt to the on-stage character that allows them to be influential and confident. It becomes more of a performance and builds the confidence of an orator. Moreover, It is essential to know the views of your audience. An orator must be not afraid of making mistakes and possess the ability to mould them. 

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Communicate Wisely 

An orator must communicate wisely considering the age groups. When preparing your speech, it is essential to use suitable content for your audience. Addressing the children on-stage, it’s better to speak cautiously and avoid complicated terms. While if you are addressing clients at a conference, you can use formal language, complex and simple sentences to make sure that you got your point across. An orator giving a motivational speech can use quotes and metaphors to bring your speech to life. 

An Orator Should Connect With the Audience 

This is one of the essential parts of being a good orator. There are two ways you can be a good orator, i.e., by maintaining eye contact and how your body language speaks. First, keep eye contact with a whole lot of audience and not just one person. Look everywhere from left to right so that every person becomes engaged. Second, make hand gestures while talking, cover the stage walking, avoid over-speeding, and don’t keep hands in the pocket because it reveals nervousness and sometimes disrespects. 

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An Orator Must Avoid Being Monotonous 

One of the signs of being a good orator is keeping the content interesting and engaging. Give a speech that moves the audience, motivates them or makes them giggle, and to avoid a boring audience, speak in a way that is not monotonous. Practice your vocal range while going up and then back down. This will provide you with an idea of how much of your vocal range can be used.

Speak Within the Timeframe

Considering the length of your speech, the time frame allows you to be brief and crisp. Even if there is no time constraint, it’s still better to be thorough and brief with your speech. A longer speech might go beyond the limit and would make the audience lose interest. In addition, the audience might get distracted as it is difficult to maintain people’s concentration level for more than 15 minutes. 

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Remember to Deliver Key Messages 

While public speaking, an orator must remember to deliver the key messages along with some additional examples. This would make people relate better and allow them to understand your point of view. Providing key messages in your speech doesn’t mean memorizing them. It means your speech becomes more effective if you speak from the heart and not your head. Good orators put their hearts out while speaking and reduce the chance of panicking in a memorized speech. 

Break the Fourth Wall

It is a concept and essential part of oratory skills between an orator and the audience. A good orator must break this wall and connect with the audience. You can talk to them while asking questions, sharing jokes, knowing their opinions, and motivating them. This will allow them to connect to you and make you an active part of the speech. 

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Show your Natural Self

An orator becomes more appealing while speaking when they have a particular personality on stage. Orators must avoid being absurd or dressing weirdly, speak too loud or too low. Being on stage gives the orator the authority to rule the stage and makes the audience listen to you. Act naturally, but keep it within the boundaries.  

Rehearse to Become an Effective Orator

The best way to be a good orator is to do rehearsals and practice in natural environments. One way of delivering a well-rehearsed speech is to record yourself, listen to your recorded tape, avoid making errors, and observe how your body language speaks. Stand in front of a mirror and analyze your hand movements. Even though you are good to go, there is no harm in practising as much as possible to be a better orator and performer. 

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Audience Feedback Plays the Major Role 

Rehearsing and practising in natural environments is vital while delivering a speech, but the orator must focus on some level of flexibility. Ask others for opinions and feedback about your speech before delivering it. When on-stage, observe the reactions of the audience and adjust your messages accordingly. For instance, while making statements that leave your audience confused, spend additional time clarifying your point and moving forward. 

Best Orators of All Time 

Let’s look at the best orators of all times who have been lauded and have made groundbreaking changes with the speech. 

Winston Churchill 

Martin Luther King Jr. 

Barack Obama 

Abraham Lincoln 

Nelson Mandela 

These were the top 10 ways to be a good orator! Hope you find this useful! If you are interested in building your career in public speaking then contact our experts at Leverage Edu and let them nudge you in the right direction!