When I think about passion in the world of presentations, the words of Carmine Gallo (author of several great books on communication, including Talk Like TED) come to mind:
“Passion is everything. You cannot inspire others unless you are inspired yourself.”
This is the essence of passion. Passion is the energy that amplifies every word we speak and makes our presentations persuasive.
I remember more than ten years ago when I had to present ideas that I didn’t believe in. I worked as a copywriter in an advertising agency, and my job was to convince clients to greenlight advertising campaigns based on ideas created by our agency. The ideas varied—some were great, others mediocre. And presenting the mediocre ones was, of course, the hardest. Not only because we all knew they weren’t the best but also because those presentations lacked passion. Without passion, there was no energy. Without energy, there was no enthusiasm. Without enthusiasm, we didn’t appear convinced that the campaign would actually help the client. And without that belief, there wasn’t enough persuasive power to make the client follow our recommendation.
“Passion is everything”—this is certainly a generalization. But in the world of presentations, passion holds immense significance. Let’s take a moment to think about the greatest speakers of all time. We remember Winston Churchill, Martin Luther King, Steve Jobs, Barack Obama—from films, documentaries, and television. What did they all have in common?
They all spoke with passion. It was passion—an unrelenting commitment to their mission—that gave their speeches power.
I dare say even more. Passion, contrary to what Carmine Gallo claims, is not everything. Passion is synonymous with the mysterious quality called “charisma.” How do you become charismatic? There is no simple formula for that. But one clue might be discovering passion within yourself.
How to Find Passion for the Topic You’re Presenting? Here Are Some Tips:
1. Find the answer to the question: “Why is this important?”
Every presentation topic, even one that seems trivial, can be incredibly important from a certain perspective. Maybe not for you, but for someone else. If it is important even to just one person, that’s already a reason to do it well and put in the effort.
2. Find a personal connection to the topic
Perhaps there is a link between the topic and an episode from your life. What does the topic remind you of? Has something good happened in your life that is in some way related to it? I remember once having to create a presentation for a company producing fertilizers. I couldn’t ignite passion for the subject (who could?). But then I recalled spending summers as a child at my uncle’s farm. There, I saw firsthand how my uncle used fertilizers and what they meant to him—a way to take even better care of his fields. This seemingly insignificant reflection somehow gave me the energy to put my own touch into the project, to approach it with heart. And that made a huge difference.
3. Connect the topic to a greater mission
This reminds me of an old anecdote about three builders. Someone asked the first one: “What are you doing?” He replied, “Laying bricks.” The second one, when asked the same question, said, “Building a high wall.” The third one answered, “I am constructing a cathedral. The most beautiful building in our city, which will outlast me, my children, and my grandchildren, and which will stand as proof that we achieved something great.” If you feel like you’re just laying brick after brick, think bigger—maybe it’s about something much greater? Perhaps this one small topic you are presenting is a step toward accomplishing something truly significant?
Passion is one of the foundations that support a speaker. If you want to strengthen that foundation, check out my comprehensive presentation training HERE, where we can work not only on the technical aspects of creating professional presentations but also on building a strong speaker’s identity.