🐙 Why I'm giga-bullish public speaking in the age of AI

Hey there, solopreneur!

Something became so obvious to me these past few weeks:

In a world where AI is writing our emails and summarizing the content we read, what skills will become even more valuable?

The answer hit me like a freight train: real-world communication.

My thesis is simple:

As most people fully rely on LLMs for communication (emails, content, etc.), they're gradually losing their ability to communicate without AI assistance.

They're becoming socially awkward because in real life, an LLM won't whisper the perfect response in your ear during a conversation.

This means one thing: if you're a great IRL communicator, you'll stand out even more in the coming years.

And let's be real - even before AI took over, better communicators always got:

• Paid more at their jobs

• Promoted faster

• Generally more of what they wanted in life

The ROI on mastering this skill? Absolutely insane.

I recently became obsessed with becoming a better speaker (also because there's still some insecurity in me being a non-native English speaker).

My journey hasn't always been smooth, but it accelerated dramatically when I joined this speaking cohort.

These coaching sessions have been game-changing - pushing me way outside my comfort zone but delivering 10x the results of anything I'd tried before.

Here's my biggest unlocks so far that completely transformed how I communicate:

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1. Take a pause

Nothing hits quite like strategic silence.

I used to fear those empty spaces between words. What if my mind goes blank? What if people think I'm lost?

But here's the truth I discovered: Pauses aren't weakness – they're power moves.

Watch Obama or Steve Jobs speak. Those deliberate moments of silence? That's where the magic happens. They create tension, anticipation, and make what you just said feel 10x more important.

When I started intentionally building in pauses (especially after making an important point), I noticed people leaning in more. Suddenly they were actually processing my words instead of just waiting for their turn to speak.

Quick tip: If you're unsure how long to pause, go twice as long as feels comfortable. It's still probably shorter than you think.

2. Master your emotional range

Most of us operate in a tiny box of expression. We find our comfortable 5-7 on the energy scale and never leave it.

I was the guy who always spoke at a consistent medium energy. Never too quiet, never too excited. Predictable as hell. (This is also my default German programming lol)

After recording myself speaking, I realized how boring this made me sound. My voice was like audio wallpaper – present but forgettable.

The breakthrough came when I started deliberately practicing both extremes:

• Ultra-quiet, thoughtful moments (energy level 1-2)

• Explosively enthusiastic peaks (energy level 9-10)

It felt cartoonish and ridiculous at first. My brain screamed "this isn't you!" But watching those recordings back, I saw someone dynamic and engaging for the first time.

If you're stuck in your comfort zone, try this: Pick a children's book and read it using your FULL range – whisper the quiet parts, shout the exciting parts. Feel silly? Good. That's growth happening.

For my readers w/ children: Read like this to them for good practice and watch them light up.

3. Incorporate stories whenever you can

Our brains are hardwired for storytelling. Data informs, but stories transform.

I've completely revamped how I approach examples:

• Instead of "I tried this productivity system," I say "Last Tuesday, I was drowning in deadlines when my screen pinged with yet another urgent request..."

• Instead of "The product is good," I describe exactly how it changed someone's life

The key upgrades I've made:

• I paint scenes with sensory details (what did it look, sound, and feel like?)

• I recreate actual dialogue ("And then my boss said...")

• I tap into emotions (frustration, relief, excitement)

Even a 30-second anecdote with vivid details will outperform a 5-minute explanation every single time.

When you make people feel something, they remember what you said long after you've stopped talking.

4. Always end strong

Even if you "fuck up" or butcher a sentence, end your statement with conviction as if nothing happened.

This was a game-changer for me. I used to trip over words and immediately start apologizing: "Sorry, what I meant to say was..." or "Let me start over."

The truth? Most people won't even notice your mistakes unless you highlight them.

What feels like a massive verbal catastrophe to you registers as barely a blip to your audience. But the moment you start backpedaling or apologizing, everyone tunes in to your discomfort.

I've trained myself to power through awkward moments by maintaining strong eye contact and finishing my thought with the same energy I started with.

This is what many call "staying in character" - and it works like a charm. Your listeners will follow your confidence cues more than your actual words.

5. Be playfully authentic

Have you watched how kids naturally modulate their voices when playing with toys? They intuitively understand something we've forgotten: your voice is an instrument with massive range.

As adults, we limit ourselves to playing 5-7 notes on a vocal piano that has 88 keys.

I've started experimenting with:

• Dropping into an absurdly deep voice for emphasis

• Using a lighter tone for questions or curiosity

• Adding theatrical flair when telling stories

The first time I tried this, it felt ridiculous - like I was overacting. But the feedback shocked me. People found it engaging, memorable, and most importantly, authentic.

Being playful isn't about being fake - it's about unlocking parts of your natural expressiveness that got buried under years of "professional" conditioning.

6. Connect with why you care

This might seem obvious, but if you don't care about what you're talking about, no one else will either.

I used to prepare talks by thinking about what information I needed to convey. Now I start with a different question: "Why does this matter to me?"

No matter the topic, there's always an angle or subtopic that resonates more deeply with you personally. Find that thread and pull on it.

When I'm connected to my own emotions about a subject, people can feel it. My energy shifts, my eyes light up, and suddenly the audience is leaning in.

Simple rule I now follow: if I don't care about it, I don't speak about it. Life's too short to fake enthusiasm.

7. Be stupidly specific

When we tell stories, we often default to vague generalities. Big mistake.

"I met a friend for coffee" tells me nothing.

"I met my friend Nick at this run-down pastry shop in the hipster area of my city where all the tables wobble and the barista has tattoos of mathematical equations" creates an instant mental movie.

I was shocked how much more engaged people became when I started adding these hyper-specific details to my examples. It's like their brains can't help but visualize the scene.

This specificity hack works for everything:

• Instead of "I was stressed" → "My right eye was twitching as I stared at my inbox overflowing with 127 unread messages"

• Instead of "It was expensive" → "It cost exactly $1,247 – the same as my first month's rent in that basement apartment back in 2018"

I'm still working on this one, but the difference is already night and day. The more specific you are, the more memorable you become.

8. Feedback yourself relentlessly

Want to improve 10x faster? Record yourself talking about a topic for 5 minutes straight. Then do this:

First watch: Turn off the video and only listen to the audio. Pay attention to your tone, pace, filler words, and emotional range.

Second watch: Add the visual component. How's your body language? Are you making expressive gestures or standing like a statue?

Third round: Get the transcript and read it. Notice patterns, rambling, and unclear points.

I've been doing this daily for weeks now, focusing on improving just ONE thing each time. The compound effect has been absolutely insane.

When I first watched myself, I wanted to crawl under a rock. Now? I'm spotting subtle improvements that my audience notices before I do.

If you're really committed, share these videos publicly. But even keeping them private will accelerate your growth exponentially.

This daily practice has given me more progress in weeks than I'd made in years of casual effort.

Some meta thoughts to end this:

In the beginning, getting out of your normal comfort zone will always feel "fake." Don't believe those signals your brain is sending you. That discomfort is just growth happening in real-time.

The ROI on this skill is absolutely insane. Think about it – becoming good at communication makes everything in your life easier. It's the ultimate leverage point.

I've joined 2 courses of Ultraspeaking (unaffiliated; check them out if interested), but most importantly, I'm doing a daily video now for myself to practice. That consistent action is all that matters.

I'll next start to create more long-form video content which will be another great way to level up.

Remember: We all have a clear intrinsic view of how a leader speaks (slow pace, fewer words, more silence). Remind yourself of that image before you speak.

Ole's Bookmarks

My Twitter thread - I'm helping you work through some business challenges. Let me know if you like this format.

This killer podcast showcases many of the public speaking techniques I talked about in this newsletter.

I've been grinding hard to get Longevity Maxi off the ground and it has been slow and painful.

But these phases show if you are working on something you truly care about. I know that what I'm doing now will compound and pay off big later.

If you feel the same as me (chewing glass), don't give up.

You got this :)

See you next week 🫡

Ole