The Ever-Changing World of Public Speaking with Rael Bricker.

Welcome to Public Speaking with Peter George. Do you want to be calm, confident, and credible every time you speak in public? Then stay tuned as we discuss public speaking tips, techniques, and tactics that help you increase your impact, influence, and income.

The world of public speaking has continuously evolved — and never more rapidly than during the pandemic. So it's no surprise that many professional and aspiring speakers are wondering how to be most effective. That's exactly what Rael Bricker, a Certified Speaking Professional, is here to help you figure out. From working 6,000 feet underground in a mine, to building an education business with more than 4,000 students, to years in venture capital, Rael has seen it all. He holds two master's degrees, is a CSP with Professional Speakers Australia, and is the author of Dive In: Lessons Learned Since Business School. Here's my conversation with Rael Bricker.

Why He Speaks Without a Lectern

Peter: Rael, why do you always speak in front of a lectern rather than behind one?

Rael: Because I'm 5'6". When I went to Toastmasters, lecterns were set at about 4'6" to 5', and I had to develop the skill of standing in front of one. Over the years, that became signature for me. I move around the stage — I've been accused of being a caged tiger, pacing left to right. When you're in front of the lectern, you're closer to the audience. You try to bring them in. And I find that freedom gives me energy on stage.

Peter: Did I hear you say you started at Toastmasters at 14?

Rael: I wasn't allowed to be a member, but I was going along. Even at 14, I wanted to have my voice and be heard.

How Speech Structure Has Changed

Peter: Since you started at Toastmasters at 14, you must have seen speech structure change dramatically over the years.

Rael: Absolutely. The traditional Toastmasters structure — one-minute open, five-minute content, one-minute close — makes you very good at conveying one idea in five to seven minutes. But when you're doing 45 to 90-minute keynotes, you can't work from that structure. If you just do a big open and then download information, you'll lose the room entirely. I've never been one to stick to the traditional opening-body-conclusion format. My style has become one of questioning. I'll open with music — I use Chariots of Fire, for which I hold a music rights license — and while it plays, I ask the audience how they got there. Not literally by taxi. Metaphysically. What brought you to this point in your life? Once they've considered their own journey, I say: let me share how I got here. I've earned permission to tell my story by asking them to think about theirs first.

Structuring a Keynote

Peter: How do you bring a keynote to a strong conclusion?

Rael: The guidance I was given is that a keynote has a major idea every 10 to 12 minutes. For a 90-minute keynote, the structure is one big idea, three major points, and three sub-points for each — a one-three-nine framework. But how you bring it back is equally important: you have to circle back to how you started. In the keynote I described, I play the music again at the close and ask the audience to consider their own organization the same way they considered their own journey. Same bookends — same music — and it brings the whole thing together.

The problem with inexperienced speakers trying to do a keynote is that a keynote, by definition, is a download. You're on stage, downloading information. You're watching the audience for feedback cues — you don't want someone in the middle of the room challenging you the way you might welcome it in a workshop. A keynote and a workshop are fundamentally different formats.

Building Talks Around Behavioral Styles

Rael: A lot of my work now uses behavioral profiling — most commonly DISC. We simplify the four types into colors: red, yellow, green, and blue. Reds want enough information to make a quick decision. Yellows want quick decisions too, but filtered through how it affects the team. Greens want time to think and care about long-term relationships. Blues want detail — the spreadsheets, the proof. When you're speaking to 500 people, those percentages are in the room. So the way I structure talks is based around those behaviors.

I start with something that addresses the reds — making it easy for them to say yes, to understand why this matters. When the reds start nodding, they influence the yellows. Then I go to the yellows — teamwork, collective benefit. Then I circle back to the reds to keep them. Then the greens — relationships, trust, the long view. Then finally I go to the blues and tell the detail. But I actually say it on stage: for those of you who aren't interested in all the detail, sit patiently for a moment, because some people in this room do want it. Then I tell them where we are on the journey. That transparency keeps the reds from picking up their phones.

Comedy and Self-Effacing Humor

Peter: What role does comedy play in speaking — and how has that changed?

Rael: The comedy we could get away with 15 years ago, we can't get away with today. The best humor now is self-effacing — it brings you down to a human level. You're on a pedestal up there. Someone built you up in the introduction. Self-deprecating stories close that distance. I tell a story about presenting at a yacht club in southwest Australia where I caught my knee on the cable between the laptop and the projector. Watched it do the slow dance and crash to the floor. I looked at it and said: I guess we don't have a presentation anymore. And I carried on. That story gets a laugh, but it also says to the audience: I'm one of you.

What Drives Him to Speak

Peter: Speaking professionally can be exciting but also very challenging. What keeps driving you?

Rael: It used to be the adrenaline. No matter how many times I've spoken, there's always that small element of fear — and I think that's what keeps you alive. But the real reason I do it is seeing the lights come on in people's eyes. I can deliver a talk I feel was excellent, but if I don't see the lights come on, the payment is meaningless. Because I haven't made meaningful change in those lives. That's why I do it.

Peter: Rael, where can our listeners learn more about you?

Rael: Simply go to raelbricker.com — that's R-A-E-L-B-R-I-C-K-E-R — or email me at rael@raelbricker.com. And if you're interested in the backstory, visit raelbricker.com/free-book to download a free copy of Dive In: Lessons Learned Since Business School.

Thank you for listening to this episode of Public Speaking with Peter George. Are you ready to be calm, confident, and credible every time you speak in public? Then visit petergeorgepublicspeaking.com and let's make it happen. I'll see you next time.