I always ask my clients if they’ve seen a speaker that they admire and respect. Weirdly, 80% of them bring up Simon Sinek.
Simon Sinek shot to fame in 2010 after his TED talk How Great Leaders inspire action – viewed 66 million times. But that was just the beginning. 12 years later, he’s one of the most well-known global thought leaders – often described as “a visionary thinker with a rare intellect”.
yep the same one that you’re thinking of!
So I decided to take a deep dive into how Simon Sinek uses his speaking style to boost his authority, credibility and thought leadership.
yes that’s how I take a “closer” look…
And I came up with something surprising.
The one thing that Simon Sinek does exceptionally well is that he brings a quiet power into the way he speaks.
Simon is a soft-spoken person by nature.
He doesn’t try to be someone he’s not when he’s on a stage or a podcast.
But he also doesn’t stick to just “being quiet”.
He has mastered 3 very fundamental but critical techniques to stand out without being larger than life.
1. Focus and intensity
People talk about “executive presence” like it’s something that only white-haired CEOs need to have.
But it’s simply being 100% focused and present in the moment.
Simon Sinek brings a presence and intensity so complete that he makes you feel like he’s speaking directly to you.
In Simon’s first TED talk – he even had a mic malfunction. The sound guy ran in to give him a new mic. But the very next second, he continued on with his talk, unfazed.
Key lesson: The more focused you are, the more your audience will focus on you.
2. Amplifying message through delivery
Despite being a quiet person, Simon leans into showing passion and intensity when he speaks.
He emphasizes important words with his voice and gestures. He uses pauses to let the audience think. He expresses emotions he wants us to feel: passion, curiosity, outrage.
He’s so animated that he’s blurred in my screenshot!
Simon understands the golden rule of speaking: bring life to your words.
There’s a reason why you’re speaking and not sending someone an email.
Make it an experience when you present. You won’t be forgotten.
Key lesson: Learn to use your voice and body language to amplify your message.
3. Simplicity in words
Anything and everything Simon says (haha) is understandable by most people.
He doesn’t get caught up in industry jargon. He doesn’t use fancy words.
He simplifies concepts, he uses everyday language – he turns every talk, podcast and video into a conversation.
He does everything he can to make his ideas easy to understand and relate to.
We look up to people we understand and identify with.
Key lesson: If people understand you, they will find it easier to relate to you and respect you.
There are dozens of other speaking techniques that Simon uses to sound eloquent and understated – his enunciation, strategic repetition*, varying sentence lengths.
But these 3 secrets are what give him the edge and make him stand out as a top 1% speaker and trainer.
