How to Give a Rousing Speech Like Oprah at the 2018 Golden Globe Awards

Powerful public speakers walk among us like gods, getting people to follow them with their ability to move a crowd. Oprah did just that at the 2018 Golden Globe Awards. Here is what you can learn from her skill to enhance your public speaking.

Give Away Cars

Just as she did on her TV show, Oprah gave away cars to the Golden Globes audience. Years ago, she awarded each audience member a mew Pontiac G6. This time, she gifted each audience member a Lamborghini Veneno, a car worth $4.5 million dollars. A few well-heeled Hollywood types realized they already had this car and selflessly donated their Oprah gift to lucky fans waiting outside the hall.

Use Emotion

In her speech, Oprah said over and over, “Fresh, warm doughnuts are everything right in the world!” She repeats emotional truths to drive her point home. Obviously, this pulls on our heart strings because there isn’t a person alive that doesn’t like fresh, warm doughnuts. Use this technique liberally in your speeches.

Rousing Finish

Good speakers understand speech dynamics — the art of varying the pace and pitch of speech to sustain interest. Oprah slowly increased her cadence over the entire speech, ending in a rounding crescendo of inspiration, motivation and dehydration. The audience leapt to their feet, raised Oprah above their heads and carried her triumphantly down the street to the Beverly Hills Lamborghini dealership where she handed out free oil change coupons.

Folks, Oprah is a one-of-a-kind personality, the kind of talent we only see once in a generation. You may not be Oprah, but you can borrow her public speaking techniques to help accelerate your goals and accomplishments.