The “C” in SPEAC: What Traveling With Leaders Taught Me About Real Connection

Connection is the outcome of SPEAC’ing Success.

When you’ve done the work - when you’ve Strategized, Prepared, Elevated, and Articulated with intention and authenticity… true connection becomes inevitable. This final step is where everything clicks.

With my role at SPEAC being Connection Coordinator, it would be pretty awkward if this wasn’t my favorite part of the framework… right :) ? 

But, all jokes aside, this is where everything you’ve prepared finally meets the people you’re there to serve.

Connection doesn’t happen because your slides are polished or your words are perfectly chosen.

It happens because you are showing up as yourself.

Before I ever built frameworks or coached speakers, I spent years traveling as a Business Affairs Manager at a large home remodeling firm. That role took me to leadership conferences all over the country. I sat in rooms with award-winning actors, best-selling authors, producers, and professional athletes.

Some of the most “impressive” speakers on paper didn’t always connect. And some of the most powerful moments came from speakers who simply knew how to be human with their audience.

My favorite speaker of all? A former U.S. president.

Not because every word was perfect.

Not because every line was poetic.

But because of how he connected.

It was obvious that not everyone in the room was going to be a fan. The audience included people from across the political spectrum, with very different ideas and experiences during his presidency. And yet, watching him speak, you could see connections happening in real time.

He leaned in slightly when an audience member asked a question, nodding and acknowledging their point before responding. His hands moved naturally to punctuate ideas, but never in a way that distracted. He used body language to create warmth and openness. When an audience member laughed or groaned at a joke, he paused, smiled, and adjusted his timing, making it feel like he was with the room, not just speaking at it. Even when responding to the interviewer, he listened intently, reacted thoughtfully, and allowed the conversation to flow naturally instead of rigidly sticking to prepared lines.

He spoke like he was having a conversation, even in a massive room with hundreds of eyes on him. Every glance, pause, and gesture communicated presence and respect for the people listening.

That’s connection.

And that’s the difference between delivering a speech and creating an experience.

In public speaking, your audience isn’t just there to receive information. They’re there to be acknowledged, included, and to feel something.

When speakers cling too tightly to a script or hide behind their slides, the room can feel it instantly. But when you stay present, notice the energy in the room, and respond in real time, something shifts.

People stop watching you. They start experiencing the moment with you.

To Connect is to:

• Listen deeply to your audience

• Stay flexible in the moment

• Respond with empathy

• Let go of “perfect delivery” in favor of authenticity

  
  

Connection is not about controlling the room.It’s about being in a relationship with it.

Why Connection Is the Outcome of SPEAC

When you Strategize with intention, Prepare with care, Elevate your message with purpose, and Articulate with authenticity, you earn the right to connect.

Connection is what turns:

• listeners into participants

• messages into movements

• presentations into experiences

  
  

Because when people feel you, they hear you. And when they hear you, they trust you. And when they trust you, your message doesn’t just land - it lasts.

Speak Success,