Can you imagine the people you admire for their public speaking skills? According to articles published around the world in places like Canada, Indonesia, the United States, England, Australia and New Zealand, to name a few, public speaking is one of the main fears of people. In the United States, a National Speakers Association Certification Program provides opportunities for individuals to test and train to speak in public. Becoming an internationally qualified public speaker requires years of public speaking, earning income related to public speaking, and ongoing evaluations. Most people do not want the status of an international public speaker; They just want their throat not to close, their pulse doesn’t race, their brain doesn’t go blank, and their muscles don’t clench at the thought of speaking in front of a group of people, strangers or not.

So who do you look up to as a public speaker? President Barak Obama has received praise for his public speaking skills and has praised past greats such as President Lincoln and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. as talented and inspiring speakers. Cicero, Joan of Arc, William Wallace, Susan B. Anthony, Sojourner Truth, Winston Churchill, Mahatma Gandhi, John F. Kennedy, Betty Friedan, Ronald Reagan, Billy Graham, Barbara Jordan, Nelson Mandela, Hirsi Ali, Wafa Sultan, are just a few of the people who show power in their words, memorable rhetoric, captivating phrases, and the ability to connect with audiences.

Study the people you admire as public speakers. What do they do? Where are they standing? How do they move? What methods do you use to open or close your speech? Can you find a pattern or plan in each of his speeches? What role do illustrations play? How often do they quote other people? Is humor present? Can they bring a tear to the eyes of the listeners, and do they? What are they wearing? How do they use their hands, their voice, their themes? Why do they speak in public? What energizes your life? What are your goals? Who do you depend on for support and ideas? What is your academic background? Do they have unique life experiences?

The people you admire as public speakers can be your role models as you work to develop your public speaking skills. When Chief Justice John Roberts changed the word order for Barak Obama’s oath of office, the oath was still recited because both men took the mistake in stride and knew the essentials. The day after the inauguration, Chief Justice Roberts went to the White House so that President Barak Obama could record that he was taking the oath in front of witnesses, a perfect word. Words rarely jump from lips in perfect alignment and emphasis the first time, especially when one is under pressure. Your role models have made mistakes. Read their biographies. Look carefully at how they learned to develop their public speaking skills and got through the embarrassing moments. You can learn the same skills. You can become a wonderful public speaker. If you can!