Whitney Wolfe Herd is the founder and CEO of Bumble, a social and dating app, launched in 2014. She was also an early executive at Tinder. We identified Whitney as one of the best public speakers because of the assertiveness conveyed in her voice and in the way she responds to questions. She is able to captivate the audience with her strong tone, personable nature, and authenticity.
by Stephanie Bickel
We reviewed her interview at Elevate Tech Fest on The Story of Bumble.
Whitney's greatest public speaking skills:
Whitney speaks with excellent vocal power and energy. She maintains a strong tone from start to finish which makes it easy for the audience to listen and connect to her message. She uses stress, volume, and pausing intentionally to make an impact in the way she communicates.
Her passion is incredible. Hearing Whitney's story is inspiring and it's easy for women to relate to her. Listening to her makes you want to create changes and make a difference in the world, as she has with the creation of Bumble. She says: "Everyone please download the app, you are empowering women by doing so".
Whitney's honesty and openness in the way she communicates about her life and past. She does not censor important issues that many others find it difficult to discuss. This allows many women of all ages to connect with her words. Whitney is relatable and her authenticity shines. She allows her personality to make her message more meaningful, as well.
What Whitney could do to improve her public speaking skills:
Use more meaningful transition words. Whitney does use "So" or "And so" as transitions when speaking or responding to questions. Eliminating that initial "So" and jumping right into her response is a more assertive way to respond and speak.
Maintain stronger and more deliberate eye contact. During this interview, there were several moments where Whitney made an important statement, yet she looked down and scanned instead of locking and holding. She does this when she is thinking, yet the connection appears to be lost between her and the interviewer at times.
More intentional micro and grand gestures. Whitney's passion is clear and she often uses her hands to showcase that. When she flails her arms instead of using clear and deliberate gestures, it becomes more difficult to lose focus with her verbal message.
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