Happy Birthday - 6 Things That Make PM Modi The Influential Speaker

The PM of India, Narendra Modi is celebrating his 67th Birthday on 17th September, today. He has been in position as PM in year 2014. He might be having some return gits ready for the people of his country. If there is one person that has caught the attention of the world with his public speaking - it is Narendra Modi. Just like Obama, he catapulted into the top job with brilliant election strategy and execution, on the back of his excellent oratory skills.

A political speech is never just a simple expression of views or promises. Depending on the occasion it is meant to signal intent, put forth plans, create expectations as well as list out yours. But primarily, it is meant to engage its audience. And Modi's speech managed to do just that.

It's not an easy task to come up with a political speech that ticks all these boxes but the two key factors are a great speech writer and a good orator. "A good political speech should have an emotional charge, it should have credibility and a subtle sense of humor woven into it. Modi’s speech managed all three," says political analyst Pushpesh Pant. The "emotional charge" he refers to here is about both the rhetorical element as well as the body language of the speaker, both areas where Modi excels.

# Tailors his speech to the audience

This is the aspect about him which impresses me the most. He knows exactly what works with which audience and tailors his speech to that. When he speaks at a political rally, he uses a lot of rhetoric that appeals to the masses. When he is at an investor conclave, he means business. In Parliament, you see him presenting like a statesman inspiring his country to do better. As a business presenter, it is important for you to present different.

# Speaks the language he is comfortable in

Most people in India mistake good command over English for good communication. Nothing can be further from the truth. Knowing the language well will certainly help you conduct business in India but let that not hold you hostage while presenting. When we train executives on making better presentations, we see a 30-40 percent improvement in them when they speak in the language they are comfortable in. We recommend that they speak 'Hinglish'.

# Uses the right body language

Narendra Modi stands straight and has an expansive body language. He keeps his hands in front of his chest. He does not slouch over the podium or table in front of him. His confident body language instills faith in his audience. It increases the probability of his audience buying his message as he comes across as a bold leader who knows what he is talking about.

# The right tone of voice

Tone of voice is emotions/feelings expressed by the way our words sound. A lot of what we communicate happens through the tone that we use while speaking. Narendra Modi gets this. On most subjects, he speaks with a passionate tone of voice. He gives the matter at hand importance by the way he says his words. Most bad presenters speak in mono tone - where the audience does not know if the news being delivered is good or bad.

# Makes eye contact with his audience

Eye contact is essential to make people feel that you are talking directly to them. When the audience is smaller, ensure you make eye contact with every individual. With a larger audience like Narendra Modi faces, it's important to look from one side to another to give the audience a sense that you are looking at them. Looking in just one direction or at one person while presenting will alienate you from your audience.

# Emphasis or stress on the important words

Watch the next Narendra Modi speech and observe the words he lays emphasis on. Like most great presenters, he stresses on the most important words in the sentence. Research shows that your audience tends to pick up words that you emphasize on and often ignore the rest. Besides a combination of tone of voice and stressing on the right words can make even average content look interesting.