September 25, 2025
Ever notice how some people start talking and immediately the whole room goes quiet? Well, that’s not luck. It’s a skill — and it’s a skill that anyone can learn. In this blog, I’ll show you how to speak like the top 1%
The top 1% don’t waste time with formalities. They don’t start a meeting or presentation with:
“Hi everyone, my name is John and today I’m going to talk about X, Y, and Z.”
They know that attention is currency. Instead, they open with a bold promise that makes the audience lean in. They answer one key question right at the start: What’s in it for them?
For example, instead of saying:
“Today I’m going to share three tips on productivity with you.”
They say:
“Today you’ll discover how to double your output while working five hours less.”
See the difference? Don’t just tell people what you’ll teach. Show them how their life will be different after listening to you.
Two weeks into my new job as a consultant at Bain, I was in a partner’s office about to share my first assignment. I opened my laptop and started talking:
“I ran this analysis and I found this insight and here’s my idea and, yeah, that’s my recommendation.”
The partner stopped me and said:
“Phillip, this isn’t a school presentation. Have you ever heard of the pyramid principle?”
That day, he showed me how CEOs and top consultants communicate.
Here’s the simple version:
Start with your main point or recommendation.
Give two to three reasons why it’s true.
Only then, share the details to back it up.
For example, if your manager asks, “What should we do about our marketing budget?”
The average communicator says:
“Well, we tested Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube. Instagram had the lowest cost per click, LinkedIn had higher-quality leads, so we think we should shift our budget to LinkedIn.”
That’s bottom-up, and it’s terrible.
Here’s the pyramid principle (top-down):
“We recommend shifting 30% of our budget to LinkedIn. Why? First, it brought in 40% higher-quality leads. Second, it had the highest conversion rate.”
Boom. Executives don’t want your entire analysis — they want the recommendation first.
Steve Jobs was a master of this technique. Watch what happens when he’s asked at Stanford:
“What’s the most important thing you personally learned at Apple that you’re doing next?”
He pauses for a full 22 seconds before answering. No one interrupts. No one looks away. Everyone leans in.
Most people are afraid of silence. They rush to fill it. But the best communicators own the silence.
A pause says: “I’m in control. What I’m about to say is worth waiting for.”
Pause before your key point. Pause after a tough question. Pause after a bold statement. Let the silence do the work.
Have you ever been asked a simple question, but you start rambling? “Oh, wait, there’s something more… Actually, one final thing…” and suddenly you’re five tangents deep and completely lost?
Average communicators ramble. The best communicators use the one-thing focus.
Whenever they’re asked a question, they respond with:
“The one thing I want you to know is X.”
This forces clarity. It trims the fat and zooms in on what really matters.
For example, if someone asks: “What makes a great speaker?”
You could respond:
“The one thing that makes a great speaker is presence. If you’re fully there with your audience, everything else falls into place.”
Great communication isn’t about saying more — it’s about saying the right thing.
For my book Public Speaking with Confidence, I interviewed 34 professional speakers. I asked them one question:
“How do you prepare for your speech?”
Three out of four gave the same answer:
“I focus on my audience.”
Most people do the opposite. They walk on stage thinking: “I hope they like me. I hope I don’t mess up. I hope they think I’m smart.”
That’s a taker mindset. And audiences can feel it.
The top 1% show up as givers. Before I step on stage, I repeat to myself:
“I’m here to serve. I’m here to serve. I’m here to serve.”
I also picture one specific person in the audience and imagine how they’ll benefit from what I’m about to share. That changes my energy — and the audience feels it.
These five techniques will completely change how people see you:
The Big Promise
The Pyramid Principle
The Power Pause
The One-Thing Focus
Show Up as a Giver
If you want to take your storytelling to the next level, check out this check out this article where I share three simple frameworks to better articulate your thoughts.
Storytelling has helped me more than anything else boost my retention, go viral, and grow my business in the end.
Enjoy.
P.S. Want to become a stronger communicator?
Here are two ways I can support you:
👉 Want to tell more engaging stories? Join our next Storytelling Workshop.
👉 Want to speak with confidence and clarity? Check out our Communication Skills Training.
Both are fun, practical, and designed to help you grow fas
Are you ready to transform your storytelling skills?
Discover how your storytelling skills score and uncover useful insights to help you become a charismatic storyteller:
