Stop Reading at People. Start Connecting with Them.
By Ubong Essien, CSP
Dean, School of Eloquence
West Africa’s Only Certified Speaking Professional
Author, Speak with Power
Let me address one of the most common and costly habits in professional speaking.
Reading.
Not referencing notes.
Reading to people.
There is a difference.
When you read to an audience, you break connections.
When you connect with an audience, you lead them.
And leadership cannot happen when your eyes are buried in paper.
Why Reading Feels Safe
Many professionals read because it feels safe.
Notes reduce anxiety.
Scripts reduce mistakes.
Slides reduce uncertainty.
But safety for the speaker often creates distance for the audience.
When your head is down, your authority drops.
When your eyes are locked on slides, your influence weakens.
And when your voice becomes tied to text, your delivery becomes mechanical.
The audience does not feel spoken to.
They feel read at.
Eye Contact Is Not Decoration
Eye contact is not cosmetic.
It is structural.
When you look at someone while speaking, three things happen:
- You anchor authority.
- You humanize your message.
- You create accountability.
Connection is created in the eyes.
Without eye contact, your message floats.
With eye contact, your message lands.
Notes Are a Support, Not a Script
There is nothing wrong with using notes.
But notes should guide you, not control you.
Professional speakers use:
- Bullet prompts.
- Keywords.
- Structural cues.
They do not memorize paragraphs.
They do not cling to text.
They internalize structure.
That way, their mind is free to engage.
The Energy Shift When You Look Up
Something powerful happens when you lift your head and look directly at your audience.
The room becomes personal.
Your tone strengthens.
Your gestures become more natural.
Your confidence increases.
Because now you are interacting, not reciting.
The Hard Truth
If you are reading your speech word-for-word, you are not public speaking.
You are performing a reading exercise.
Public speaking requires eye engagement.
It requires vocal freedom.
It requires presence.
And presence is impossible when your attention is buried in text.
Inside the School of Eloquence, we train speakers to master structure so thoroughly that they do not need scripts to feel secure.
Because once you trust your structure, you are free to connect.
And connection is influence.
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