Lenny DistilledLeadership → Influence Without Authority
If your audience isn't wondering what you're about to say, they're no longer listening to you. And you have to internalize that in a deep and fundamental way. I assume all the time, 100% of the time, that no one wants to hear anything I have to say. And so I am relentless in my attempt to get the audience to be constantly wondering what the next sentence is.
Most people can be way more concise with their communication. Even internally, people don't care. You should assume that people don't care. Or if you're talking to customers, writing a blog post for customers, you should assume that they don't care. When you start with that assumption, you really force yourself to be a little bit sharper in your communication style.
People cannot see what you feel, even though it feels that way when you feel really, really strongly. You're just looking like a normal speaker, competent and confident.
Stay in character from beginning all the way through past the ending. The worse it gets, the more I'll say, just stay in it.
When you can signal to people, I'm now telling a story, they will get quiet for you and they will afford you the opportunity to speak. It silences the room for you and affords you some space to then start doing the work that a good storyteller does.