Chixe

The hardest thing for some speakers: the ability to relate to their audience. Many times the audience and the speaker are mis-matched. Is the speaker knowledgeable? Yes, but it takes a unique ability to engage people in what you're doing.

I like speakers who don't go on and on about a topic, getting so caught up in "their moment" they forget about the audience.

My favorite "speaker" is my high school physics teacher. No one could peg what he'd do next. He was not above jumping on the desk to get a point across. He made a topic most students find challenging or boring entertaining and fun.

That's what I like but I'm not recommending you jump on a desk. Oh wait, this is being recorded and I'd actually get to see that. Hmm....

The best public speakers can take any topic at all and get you interested in it, even if you didn't come to hear them. These people are one in a million... or hundred million. Suffice it to say they're ridiculously rare, I've only met a couple.

I like it when a speaker makes me think, engages the audience (can be very difficult depending on the audience.) The most skillful will weave their topic into a story of some form, perhaps not a proper story or anecdote, but something that leads you into it. You have to realize that some people are visual thinkers, some auditory, and some tactile. Speakers that can address all types are more powerful.

I like it when they know their subject well, and know their audience well enough to directly apply them together. How does this topic help me, or affect me? I like brevity, not for the sake of being brief, but for the sake of staying to the point instead of just shooting out hot air.

You can tell when someone is passionate about their subject, that speaks volumes.

I echo Tyme's and Ozone's thoughts, but to expand on Tyme's point about relating to the audience, and Ozone's engaging the audience: INVOLVE the audience. Some suggestions: Ask the audience questions, even if they're rhetorical, to outline a point you are going to make. Get them to play a "game" with you. Have them "echo" you. Just like performers do at concerts. They don't just sing and dance. They play to their audience. The audience doesn't get bored, feels important.

Or better yet, find a way to get them to interact with each other. Kathy Sierra got everyone to identify themselves as designers, programmers, and business people in her talk, and then she gave them a minute to introduce themselves to each other.

And definitely involve storytelling in your narrative. Everyone likes to hear a good story.

A good speaker delights and instructs. How you accomplish that depends on who you are and who your audience is.

But in general, you'll get a lot closer to great speaking if you talk about things you really care about. And if you remember to be as thoroughly yourself as you can.

And yes -- always, always weave the audience into your presentation. Ask them questions -- give them things -- use examples of things you know that group knows about. Mention people in the room. If they know you're looking at them and really seeing them, then they're much more likely to see you.

And if all else fails, serve mixed drinks and snacks. At least they'll leave delighted, even if you've maybe not done quite so well on the instruction part.