The 7 secrets of the greatest speakers in history
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It’s 1903, and this extraordinary guy named Teddy Roosevelt is standing on the edge of the Grand Canyon. At that time, people wanted to create hotels and spas and turn the Grand Canyon into a profit-making Disneyland of the environment. And he stood and said no. He created a tipping point for the environmental movement and for the world. He said, “Leave it as it is. The ages have been at work on it and man can only mar it.”
The world would have been a different place without those words from President Theodore Roosevelt. Fast forward to his fifth cousin, President Franklin Roosevelt, in 1933, in the midst of the Great Depression. He said, “First of all, let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself.” The world would have been a different place without those words at that time from that man.
In my years of studying public speaking and great speeches, I found that there are seven secrets that great speakers use and other people don’t. I believe that every human being can be a great speaker and that their words can create a tipping point and change the world. The first secret is about words. Words can be the best and most amazing in the world, but they only communicate 7 percent of the impact that one human being has on another.
Voice tone, the variation in your voice, the enthusiasm, the love, the passion that comes through your voice, carries around 38 percent of the impact. Your body language, whether you are looking into someone’s eyes or looking over their head and not connected, makes up the rest. Words, voice tone, and body language are the three vehicles, the three pathways that great communication travels in.
What most people do is throw out so much data, trying to prove that they are smart and trying to get all the content out. But words are just the 7 percent. What is important is the one thing that you want to leave people with, the headline. That’s what makes a great speech. Secret number five is about fear. Many people are afraid of public speaking. Around forty-one percent of the world is terrified, often to the point of turning down speaking opportunities.
Whether they are political leaders, business leaders or charitable leaders, they turn down opportunities to shake the world because they are scared. There are many reasons why people are scared, but the number one reason is that we don’t know what public speaking really is. We don’t know the true definition. The true definition of public speaking is that it is nothing more than having a conversation from your heart about something that you are authentically passionate about.
If you think that public speaking is a performance, you are going to be zero percent you and one hundred percent actor, and the audience does not get to see, experience, and feel who you are. So I want you to write the word “speech” down on a piece of paper, put a circle around it, and put a line through it. I do not want you ever to give another speech. That’s not what great speakers do.
Great speakers do not give a speech or a performance or a presentation to the audience. They have a conversation with the audience. It is a circle that brings us all together. We are a web, connected to every other person. That’s what great speakers do. When I first met Princess Diana, she looked me in the eyes and said, “You know, I am so scared of public speaking, and I wish that I could do what Charles does.”
She said that he just stands up there, tells a funny joke, and then moves on, completely unfazed by it. I told her that Prince Charles doesn’t have what she has. What she had was what touched and moved the world. People connected with her on a human level. All she needed to do was share from her heart and her gut, and people would love her. Even through a speech that scared her, people would feel her, know her, and connect with her.
That is far more effective than giving a speech, than telling a funny joke but not sharing your heart. That human connection, that authentic passion, is what makes great speakers and great speeches. Your words, your voice, your body language, and your heart together can create the same kind of tipping point that changed the world in these stories.
⚡ Learning goals
- Understand how great speeches create tipping points and shape history.
- Recognise how words, voice tone and body language work together in communication.
- Reframe public speaking as a heart-based conversation instead of a performance.
✨ Key language
- create a tipping point “His words created a tipping point.”
- authentically passionate about “She is authentically passionate about education.”
- conversation from your heart “Have a conversation from your heart.”
⚙️ Rules & Grammar — 4 Structures
1️⃣ Present simple for general truths
Rule: Use the present simple to state general truths and timeless facts about communication and people.Examples: Words create tipping points; Fear stops people speaking; Great speakers change history.
Common pitfall + fix: Learners sometimes use the present continuous for general truths. — Use the present simple instead: “Words create impact,” not “Words are creating impact.”
Which sentence correctly uses the present simple for a general truth?
Tip: Use the present simple to describe facts that are always true.
Fill with the best answer: Words can ______ deeply when they are honest.
Tip: Use a present simple verb that describes emotional impact.
2️⃣ Modal verbs for possibility and ability (can)
Rule: Use can to talk about ability or general possibility, especially when you describe what words and speakers are able to do.Examples: Your words can change the world; Fear can stop leaders; A simple sentence can create hope.
Common pitfall + fix: Learners sometimes use “will” instead of “can” for general ability. — Use “can” when you mean “is able to in general.”
Which modal verb best completes the sentence? “Your authentic passion ____ inspire people.”
Tip: Use “can” to talk about general ability or possibility.
Fill with the best answer: One short sentence ______ how people feel.
Tip: Use “can” plus a verb to talk about what is possible.
3️⃣ Hypotheticals with “would have been”
Rule: Use “would have” plus past participle to describe unreal past results, imagining how things might have been different.Examples: The world would have been different without those words; Her life would have been smaller without that speech; Our history would have been poorer without those leaders.
Common pitfall + fix: Learners sometimes say “would be different” for a finished past situation. — Use “would have been” when the time is clearly in the past.
Complete the sentence: “The movement ______ weaker without Roosevelt’s words.”
Tip: Use “would have been” to talk about unreal past results.
Fill with the best answer: Without her courage, her message ______.
Tip: Think of an unreal, imagined past result and use “would have been”.
4️⃣ Imperatives for advice and instructions
Rule: Use the imperative form (base verb, no subject) to give direct advice or instructions.Examples: Leave it as it is; Write the word down; Put a circle around it; Put a line through it. Common pitfall + fix: Learners sometimes add “you” before the verb. — Drop the subject and start directly with the verb for clear advice.
Which sentence is a correct imperative, like in the talk?
Tip: Imperatives start directly with the verb, without “you”.
Fill with the best answer: ______ from your heart about your passion.
Tip: Use an imperative sentence taken directly from the talk.
✍️ Vocabulary
tipping point
Meaning: a critical moment when small actions create a big change.Synonyms: turning point, critical moment, watershed moment.
Chunk/Idiom: create a tipping point in history.
Example: One short speech can create a tipping point in society.
Morphology: noun phrase; “tipping” from verb “tip,” “point” as noun head.
Self-practice: Write two situations where a few words created a tipping point in your life.
authentically passionate
Meaning: truly and honestly excited and committed to something.Synonyms: genuinely enthusiastic, deeply committed, sincerely excited.
Chunk/Idiom: be authentically passionate about your message.
Example: She is authentically passionate about helping nervous speakers.
Morphology: adverb “authentically” + adjective “passionate”.
Self-practice: Complete: “I am authentically passionate about ______ because ______.”
body language
Meaning: the messages you send with eye contact, posture, and movement.Synonyms: non-verbal communication, physical signals, gestures and posture.
Chunk/Idiom: use open body language on stage.
Example: Her warm body language helps the audience feel relaxed.
Morphology: noun “body” + noun “language,” used as a compound noun.
Self-practice: Stand in front of a mirror and adjust your body language to look confident.
voice tone
Meaning: the quality, pitch and emotion in the way you speak.Synonyms: vocal colour, speaking tone, sound of your voice.
Chunk/Idiom: vary your voice tone to show enthusiasm.
Example: His flat voice tone makes powerful words sound boring.
Morphology: noun “voice” + noun “tone,” forming a compound expression.
Self-practice: Record yourself and notice how your voice tone changes with emotion.
public speaking
Meaning: the activity of talking to a group of people in public.Synonyms: giving speeches, speaking on stage, formal presentations.
Chunk/Idiom: be terrified of public speaking.
Example: Many talented leaders are still terrified of public speaking.
Morphology: adjective “public” + gerund “speaking,” used as a noun phrase.
Self-practice: Write three reasons why public speaking can feel frightening for you.
conversation from your heart
Meaning: a sincere talk where you show your real feelings and values.Synonyms: heartfelt conversation, honest sharing, deeply personal talk.
Chunk/Idiom: have a conversation from your heart instead of giving a performance.
Example: Her conversation from her heart changed how the audience saw fear.
Morphology: noun “conversation” + prepositional phrase “from your heart”.
Self-practice: Plan three sentences that feel like a conversation from your heart.
☁️ Examples (+ audio)
Great speakers create tipping points with just a few words.
Your voice tone and body language can transform a simple sentence.
Public speaking is a conversation from your heart, not a performance.
Authentic passion helps nervous speakers connect deeply with their audience.
✏️ Exercises
Grammar
“Princess Diana ______ a huge heart that touched the world.”
Tip: Use the present simple for general truths about people.
Choose the best option: “One short sentence ______ the way we see fear.”
Tip: Use “can” for general possibility, not for one specific future moment.
Fill with the best answer:
Great speakers ______ in culture with their words.Tip: Use the chunk with “tipping point” from the talk.
Fill with the best answer:
Without those speeches, the world ______.Tip: Remember the structure “would have been” for unreal past results.
Vocabulary & Comprehension
Which phrase in the talk means a moment when everything starts to change?
Tip: Think of the phrase used about Roosevelt and the environmental movement.
According to the speaker, what is the true definition of public speaking?
Tip: Remember what he says public speaking is “nothing more than”.
Fill with the best answer:
Many talented leaders are still ______.Tip: Use the exact phrase the speaker uses about fear of public speaking.
Fill with the best answer:
You should be ______ your topic to move people.Tip: Use the adverb-adjective combination that describes real passion.
✅ Guided practice
Mini-dialogue:
A: I am terrified of public speaking and always feel like I am performing.B: Remember, public speaking is just a conversation from your heart about your passion.
A: So I should stop trying to be perfect and just be myself?
B: Exactly. Share who you are and your words can create a tipping point.
Why this matters:
Speaking from your heart helps people feel connected to you. It turns a cold performance into a human conversation. That connection can create the tipping points that change lives and even history.Verb & Adjective Pack:
create tipping points — Great speeches create tipping points in society.be terrified — Many leaders are terrified of public speaking.
connect deeply — Her story helped her connect deeply with the audience.
authentic — The audience loved how authentic she sounded on stage.
inspiring — His inspiring words stayed with people for years.
Try & compare:
Fill with the best answer: Public speaking is a ______ about something you love.
Tip: Use the definition of public speaking from the talk.
Self-correction: Fix the sentence: I am authentic passionate about help people speak.
Tip: Use the correct adverb, adjective and verb form.
Practice aloud: Listen, repeat, then type the sentence.
My words can create a tipping point for someone listening.
Tip: Focus on the rhythm of the phrase “create a tipping point”.