Siji Varghese - Know Your Audience. Your Speech Is About Them, Not You

TEDx & Global Professional Speaker | International

Behavioural Facilitator | Certified in ROI© methodology

EI® Assessor | ICF Certified Coach | NLP Master Practitioner |

Karmaveer Chakra recipient 

Siji loves to be known as the Eternal Soul seeker, and has donned multiple hats as a Corporate Leader, Trainer, Facilitator, Keynote speaker, Coach and as a Passion-Preneur. Her multiple certifications combined with her real-world corporate experience of more than 23 years, has conceptualized hand

crafted solutions to deliver across the spectrum of her audience.

1. Tell us more about what you do and what led you to speak on this platform.

I work in the space of inspiring and empowering Individuals who are keen in making a difference in their own lives and also positively influencing others around them.

I am driven by a personal mission to help 100,000+ women Leaders globally to unleash their best version so that they are able to Do more and Achieve More.

My forte has been into Leadership Trainings, People Management skills and Women oriented programs (Leaders in Lipstick) all driving the single objective of Human Capital development through engaging practices and tools.

As a Behavioural Consultant & Coach, I get multiple opportunities to work with the leaders of the future and it’s a very rewarding space to be able to make an impact. Eat My News is an initiative by the global youth community made of people who believe in the movement to make the world more inspired, informed and intelligent. I believe that the mutual synergies align very beautifully and that’s my personal reason and drive to be speaking on this platform.


2. How do you choose and prepare for a talk?

Whenever the Client approaches me for a speaking gig, I would start with understanding what are the key takeaways they desire to have for the audience. If the keynote is something that I have developed competency in, I would pick up the gig very confidently, and deliver it to my utmost potential.

Whilst preparing for the talk, the very first element is to know my audience well, so that I can craft my talk with utmost relevance and resonance. I always start the talk on a high note, by sharing an anecdote or story to support the context with a structure. I love the aspect of a visual impact, and so have my pictorial presentation well-constructed.

I rehearse multiple times before delivering the talk and at times, ask for constructive feedback from my support system so that I can improvise. The entire talk would be laced with multiple stories and anecdotes. Also, would pre-empt the various questions that could pop up post the talk, so I have my research done well in advance. Finally, I always end on a high note and a call out for inspired action.


3. How can one become a public speaker?

I have conducted close to 750 workshops with almost 35,000 participants across 5 countries in the last 10 years.

However, when it comes to addressing large crowds, I would still feel a chill running down my spine. Venturing into professional public speaking might seem like a daunting task, because it needs a different level of skill. By following a few key strategies, one can both start and sustain your speaking career.

• Identify your area of passion and build on it
• Identify the target audience and the ways to reach out to them
• Gain public speaking skills through a workshop and continuous practice
• Learn the art of speech writing, starting and ending on a high note
• Inspiring the audience to take action
• Create a strong professional online presence
• Invest time and resources to create a community around your chosen niche
• Always start speaking in local space, and give free gigs at the start of the career
• Attend networking events and be open to collaborations

And most important of all, is to be your true self and authentic, and this rubs beautifully with the audience who feel connected with you.


4. Can motivational speaking become a full-time career?

Yes of course, Motivational speaking can become a full-time career, if we invest in the right resources. I have known world class speakers getting paid for each gig to the tune of 20,000 USD. Find your niche and address it your target audience, and you are an instant hit in that space as a sought-after Speaker.


5. Which is your favourite talk ever and how did it change your life?

One of my personal favourites is “The Power of Vulnerability” by Brene Brown.

I have always found myself to be very vulnerable, and I would think that its my weakness. After having heard this Ted Talk, my entire perspective changed. I would actually move around wearing my heart on sleeve and feel proud about it.

My greatest lesson was to understand that I need to let go of the constant worry about what other people think of me, as most people are focussed on their own internal struggles and not on me.


6. What are the best public speaking tips that have worked for you?

There are many strategies that one can adopt to have the best speech ready. Some of them that have worked for me, I am sharing with everyone in here.

1. Know Your Audience. Your Speech Is About Them, Not You 
   Before you begin to craft your message, consider who the message is intended for. Learn as much about your listeners as you can. This will help you determine your choice of words, level of information, organization pattern, and motivational statement.
   
   
2. Organize Your Material in the Most Effective Manner to Attain Your Purpose
   Create the framework for your speech. Write down the topic, general purpose, specific purpose, central idea, and main points. Make sure to grab the audience’s attention in the first 30 seconds.
   
   
3. Watch for Feedback and Adapt to It
   Keep the focus on the audience. Gauge their reactions, adjust your message, and stay flexible. Delivering a canned speech will guarantee that you lose the attention of or confuse even the most devoted listeners.
   
   
4. Let Your Personality Come Through
   Be yourself, don’t become a talking head—in any type of communication. You will establish better credibility if your personality shines through, and your audience will trust what you have to say if they can see you as a real person.
   
   
5. Use Humour, Tell Stories, and Use Effective Language.
   Inject a funny anecdote in your presentation, and you will certainly grab your audience’s attention. Audiences generally like a personal touch in a speech. A story can provide that.
   
   
6. Use Your Voice and Hands Effectively. Omit Nervous Gestures.
   Nonverbal communication carries most of the message. Good delivery does not call attention to itself, but instead conveys the speaker’s ideas clearly and without distraction.
   
   
7. Grab Attention at the Beginning, and Close With a Dynamic End
   Do you enjoy hearing a speech start with “Today I’m going to talk to you about X”? Most people don’t. Instead, use a startling statistic, an interesting anecdote, or concise quotation. Conclude your speech with a summary and a strong statement that your audience is sure to remember.

Last but not the least, always keep your beautiful smile on, it’s a sure shot winner to people’s hearts.


7. What impact do you want to make in the world?

With the kind of work that I do, I feel that I am in a great space to be able to influence larger groups of people across the globe. This gives me the opportunity to do the right things which are essential to make this world a better place to live in. 

The greatest gift that my Almighty has given me, is my gift of gab. I realised that I had the power to make a difference with my words. My words could heal, and could inspire people to take action by moving outside their comfort zone and witness magic in their effort zone.

My personal mission is to impact 100,00 women across the globe, to help them unleash their best versions, because I feel when we empower the women of the world, the world becomes a better place.


8. Which is your favourite book and why?

I am a student of life and in continuous process of evolving in my journey.

The one book that changed my world is “The Secret” By Rhonda Byrne and it was gifted to me by one of my good friends in the year 2010. My best takeaway from the book was that Everyone has the ability to create their own reality. And ever since, whatever I got in my life was a result of my thoughts being manifested big time.

- Interviewed by - Nishad Kinhikar