Chris Anderson

The only thing that truly matters in public speaking is not confidence, stage presence, or smooth talking. It’s having something worth saying.

A lot of speakers (often male) appear to love the sound of their own voice and are happy to talk for hours without sharing anything much of value. But there are also many people (often female) who massively underestimate the value of their work, and their learning, and their insights

Style without substance is awful.

You’ve led a life that is yours and yours only.

There’s a lot we’d like to get into in principle, but, you know, that Internet thing just has so many damn distractions.

Whether the journey is one of exploration, explanation, or persuasion, the net result is to have brought the audience to a beautiful new place

You want to build a reputation as a generous person, bringing something wonderful to your audiences, not as a tedious self-promoter.

Everything changes, though, when you focus on the nature of the work that you’re doing, and the power of the ideas that infuse it, not on the org itself or its products.

Inspiration can’t be performed. It’s an audience response to authenticity, courage, selfless work, and genuine wisdom.

But if you, the speaker, want the audience to come with you, you probably need to give them a hint of where you’re going.