Personality is persuasive. Be your audacious best. -Dr. Michelle Mazur

Personal note: I'm taking a 4 week blogging hiatus to finish my book, Speak Up For Your Business. Never fear great content will still be here, but it will be other bloggers from around the web. Enjoy.

Personality. It is what separates good speakers from exceptional ones. Too many times I see speakers who are stiff and unnatural. Speaking like they would write for their 9th grade English teacher (Yes, Ms. Dodge – I'm talking to you. You scarred me for life). 

Personality makes speaking far more interesting and visual. If you were sitting in an audience, which sentence would make you lean forward?

I took my dog for a walk.

OR

I took my furry little pee machine for a walk.

Infusing your speaking with personality is about being conversational. It's about talking the way you talk with friends. It's about kicking your high school English teacher to the curb and being yourself.

Loved, loved, loved (and wished I'd have written) this article from Ash Ambrige at The Middle Finger Project:

3 (Top Secret Ultra James Bond) Ways to Add More Personality to Your Writing

Yes, it's about writing – but you've got to write a speech, and although you might not script it word for word having great turns of phrase transforms a good speech to great!