I sat listening to a 30-year-old speaker.  His enthusiasm, energy, and meaty content immediately grabbed my attention.  But five minutes into his speech, my mind began to wander.  After ten minutes, I had definitely lost focus.  He never lost his energy.  His volume didn’t wane.

At about the twelve-minute mark, he told a personal story, complete with the vocal nuances and inflections you would expect in a story, and he once again had my full attention.

What happened?

Enthusiasm is good.  Energy is good.  So is content-rich material.  But when there is no variation, the audience tires of it.  It is difficult to stay focused.  If you want to hold your audience’s attention, you need to vary your delivery–volume, pace, and tone.  Above all, you must intersperse your material with examples, video clips, skits, STORIES–something that will spice it up, break it up, and reinforce your content.