You could have the perfect pitch. The cleanest cadence. The most finely tuned vocabulary this side of Webster’s Dictionary. But if your energy is off? None of that matters.
Because when it comes to truly moving an audience—energy trumps eloquence every time.
We’ve all seen it: the technically flawless speaker who somehow leaves the room cold. The one who checks every box… except the heart. And then there’s that person—the one who stumbles, who ad-libs, who laughs at their own misstep—and yet, you’re glued to them. Why? Because their energy is electric. Authentic. Alive.
As a motivational poet and spoken word keynote speaker, I’ve stood in front of audiences that speak dozens of different languages, and the one thing that always translates… is energy. It’s your intention in motion. It’s the vibe that travels ahead of your words and lingers long after you’ve left the stage.
See, energy doesn’t require perfection. It requires presence. It’s the boldness in your voice when you believe what you say. It’s the fire in your eyes when you’ve lived what you teach. It’s what makes your story stick, even when the structure slips. Because when you’re truly connected to your message, your audience connects too—not to the polish, but to the passion.
And let’s be clear—eloquence has its place. I’ve spent years crafting metaphors that cut deep and rehearsing lines until they sing. But what makes those lines land isn’t how clean they are. It’s how charged they are. That emotional voltage that surges through every syllable because the speaker isn’t just performing—they’re testifying.
That’s what the top public speakers know. They know how to harness energy, not just words. They know that people may not remember everything you said—but they’ll never forget how you made them feel.
So, before your next speech, don’t just practice the script. Practice the spirit. Don’t just ask, “Did I say it right?” Ask, “Did I feel it right?” Because that feeling—that frequency—is what fills the room. That’s what gets the standing ovation. That’s what creates the shift.
Eloquence might get you applause.
But energy? That’s what gets you remembered.
