How to Determine Your Speaking Style

What kind of speaker are you?

There are numerous styles of youth speakers. Determining your speaking style can help you hone in and maximize your speaking strengths. There is no "perfect" style of speaking or preaching. There is just YOUR style.

The most important principle to remember when determining your style is to BE YOU! If you try to just immitate or copy another speaker, you are doing yourself and your listeners a huge disservice.

Here are five different styles of speaking:

The Teacher
You love to dig in and study scripture as you are preparing your message. You also want to share and convey everything that you have learned to the students. You have a gift that allows students to understand the truths of God's Word in a new and simple way.

The Motivator
When you speak, students walk away feeling inspired and encouraged. You like to use stories and illustrations when you speak. You find it easy to include practical action steps that the students can put into practice right away.

The Prophet
You call students to God's truth and repentance when you speak. While you may not use the phrase "thus saith The Lord," you feel an urgency to deliver the message you have prepared and typically speak with great intensity and enthusiasm.

The Storyteller
Everything you do during your preparation and delivery revolves around story. When students listen to you, they walk away feeling like they just experienced and lived the stories you shared.

The Conversationalist
You view your message as more of a dialogue than a monologue. Your style puts students at ease. You love to use questions and tension in your delivery. Students walk away feeling like they have been "talked with" rather than "talked to."

Most youth speakers are a mix of two or three of these styles. Each of these styles has it's own strengths and weaknesses.

I recently came across Tim Elmore's Growing Leaders' Communication Assessment. It is a free tool that will reveal the strengths and weaknesses of your communication style.

So... What kind of speaker are you?