How to become an authentic speaker. Even sincere speeches often come across as contrived. A four-step process will help you create a true emotional connection with your audience

Abstract

Like the best-laid schemes of mice and men, the best-rehearsed speeches go oft astray. No amount of preparation can counter an audience's perception that the speaker is calculating or insincere. Why do so many managers have trouble communicating authenticity to their listeners? Morgan, a communications coach for more than two decades, offers advice for overcoming this difficulty. Recent brain research shows that natural, unstudied gestures--what Morgan calls the " second conversation"--express emotions or impulses a split second before our thought processes have turned them into words. So the timing of practiced gestures will always be subtly off--just enough to be picked up by listeners' unconscious ability to read body language. If you can't practice the unspoken part of your delivery, what can you do? Tap into four basic impulses underlying your speech--to be open to the audience, to connect with it, to be passionate, and to "listen" to how the audience is responding--and then rehearse your presentation with each in mind. You can become more open, for instance, by imagining that you're speaking to your spouse or close friend. To more readily connect, focus on needing to engage your listeners and then to keep their attention, as if you were speaking to a child who isn't heeding your words. To convey your passion, identify the feelings behind your speech and let them come through. To listen, think about what the audience is probably feeling when you step up to the podium and be alert to the nonverbal messages of its members. Internalizing these four impulses as you practice will help you come across as relaxed and authentic--your body language will take care of itself.