Quora Answer: What Characteristic Do I Need to become a Good Public Speaker?

The following is my answer to a Quora question: “What characteristic do I need to become a good public speaker?”

When we speak, we wear that speaker persona, and we become whatever is needed to connect with the audience, and give voice to the voiceless.  Within all that, there is one overwhelming characteristic every public speaker must have – a considered opinion on a matter, and the need to be heard, so that others can be swayed to that position.  That is what the art of rhetoric is about. 

Every other characteristic, style of speaking, position on any argument, is built on that need to be heard, and engage.  If you have no opinions of your own, if you have no interest in issues larger that your immediate self, if you have no desire to overcome that fear of standing forth to put forth a cogent, coherent argument on any matter, you will never have that wherewithal to become a public speaker.