Gitanjali Rao is Time Magazine's first-ever “Kid of the Year”. At 10 years old, she created a lead detection tool after learning about the water crisis in Flint, Michigan. We identified Gitanjali as one of the best public speakers because of the passion and excitement she delivers in her voice and shows in her gestures. Her energy is infectious!
by Stephanie Bickel
The best public speakers event we reviewed: Interview on being named Time magazine's "Kid Of The Year"
Gitanjali’s greatest public speaking skills:
Strong, energetic voice: You can hear Gitanjali’s confidence and excitement in her voice from the moment she speaks. She projects her voice and lifts it up to show her enthusiasm. (:05, :20, :50, 1:23, 2:15, 3:45)
Uses grand gestures to convey her passion: She bring her arms up to immediately to support a positive message. When Gitanjali uses adjectives like “huge”, she also mirrors that visual with her gestures. These behaviors demonstrate that she is connected to her message. (:05, :50, 1:07, 1:34, 3:15, 3:45)
Smile that lights up the room: Gitanjali is only 15 years only and adorable, but you can’t help but love her even more when she smiles. Her warm facial expressions connect her with her audiences and make her more engaging. (:03, :20, 2:55, 3:20, 3:57, 4:14)
What Gitanjali could do to improve her public speaking skills:
Minimize movement in the frame of the body: When Gitanjali speaks, you see a lot of unintentional movement in her head and shoulders. This behavior can be distracting to the audience and be perceived as nervousness. Keeping the frame of the body still and focusing on movement in gestures will help eliminate this tendency. (:27, :59, 1:23, 2:15)
Maintain eye contact: She looks around a lot as she is speaking. When you use direct, engaging eye contact, you show physical poise and make your audience feel important. We recommend keeping eye contact with one person for at least 3-5 seconds or through an entire thought when in a group. (:20, :48, 1:23, 1:39, 3:30)
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