Normally, I wouldn’t recommend looking to Bill Gates for public speaking advice. Â He didn’t make it to the top on eloquence. Â But it’s his birthday today and I was curious about what he had to say about communication.
The answer? Nothing really.
But I did find this quote that seems relevant.
Gates said, “The vision is really about empowering workers, giving them all the information about what’s going on so they can do a lot more than they’ve done in the past.â€
Of course, Gates is speaking about computers and how they can empower workers.Â
But the same idea applies to good speaking. Great speakers understand that a good presentation isn’t about showing off or looking fabulous. It’s about empowering your audience, giving them the information they need so they can succeed.
A great speech lays out a simple path and points a direction toward success.
If you do that well, you don’t need to be eloquent. You can be more like, well, Bill Gates.
