Pastor Joel Osteen's Public Speaking Effectiveness & His Financial Success

I have been a member of Toastmaster’s International for more than 40 years. I’ve also put in a large number of hours in front of a classroom drawing upon my training as a Department of Defense instructor, and as an adjunct professor at the university level. I’ve been a steady presenter of investment issues for nearly 30 years. I also delivered the commencement address to 6,000 onlookers at my old high school, an endeavor that gave me the “heebie-jeebies.” And so, in the jargon of many thinkers and do-ers, I have “talked the talk,” and I’ve “walked the walk.”

Now, to Pastor Osteen.

Wow! What a venue. He packs in 16,800 parishioners every week. It is daring, daunting, and splendidly made-to-order. To the true orator, it is a dream come true . To the average person, it is hell unleashed. That is because speaking in public is the most dreaded of all human activities—even worse than dying according to many polls.

As a Toastmaster’s reviewer, one task is to jot down the speaker’s blunders such as speaking clarity, whether he/she injects little fillers between thoughts such as “umm” or “ahh,” and the worst filler sound of them all, “ya’know?” We also look for such items as “looking up or down,” jangling the keys in your pants pocket, and signs of an incoming anxiety attack such as constantly checking your watch, or peeing your pants or panties. These are distractions made mostly by beginners, by politicians, and by those who have an exaggerated opinion of themselves.

Pastor Joel is free from all that. He does not stammer, stutter, or use filler sounds that rise up from the depths of his bowels. He is fluid and clear. He does use the preacher’s technique of speaking faster than his audience members can digest the presented thoughts. That is because he does not want them to digest, analyze, synthesize, or evaluate his message. He just wants them to accept it. And they do. That is because he preaches in praise of what is possible, what could be, and the best way of lifting them up is to make them feel good about themselves and their potential.

He is also a handsome guy with a nice-looking wife. He’s in shape, and he dresses well. His audience notices all those small but important elements. But he also does something that very few others can do: He constructs a 60-minute presentation around a central theme, lays it out in good logical sequence, and delivers it from beginning to end without a note, a teleprompter, or a visual aid. He memorizes the entire thing including every voice inflection, every point of emphasis, every high point, while reducing every bit of negativism to a minimum. He is basically a motivational speaker, not an old-style preacher. He is good at it, and he nails it.

He is humble. He pretends to be just a country preacher who got lucky. In reality he is a pro, he writes well, speaks well, he can hold 16,800 people spellbound with his effortless performances. He tosses in just enough of a Texas draw to keep them smiling. Except for moments of roaring approval, you could hear a pin drop so engrossed are his listeners.

He has 5 million American television viewers, and 20 million more around the world. He apparently does not accept a salary. With 19 books to his credit, and a net worth $110 million, he is the American Dream personified. According to the observations of others, he is the architect of his entire empire.

I am not envious. I’m distraught.