Whatever the context, when we speak to a group of people it is tempting to devote too much attention to what we say and not enough to how we do it. If you want to be inspiring, here are some essential points for public speaking:

1. Be yourself - you don't need to imitate anyone else. If you want to inspire your audience, get inspired yourself first. Inspiration is contagious: when the audience sees you as a genuine and inspired person, they will echo that inspiration in themselves. You will be a role model for them.

2. Share an inspiring view of the future - your vision. Be inclusive - invite your audience to imagine this future in detail. Lead them through it so they experience it rather than just hear you talk about it.

3. Keep your key messages as simple as possible but no simpler (based on the advice of Albert Einstein!). Be punchy and feel free to repeat these messages at intervals to emphasise them.

4. When deciding what to say, start with the point of view of the audience. What will be their likely state of mind when they arrive to listen? What are their expectations? What would be most useful for them? What is likely to keep their interest? What would they really like to take away from hearing you? Pace them first, then lead them.

5. Start your public speaking session with a hook - something to immediately engage attention and provoke curiosity. Make it so the audience is going to feel some suspense at what is coming up.

6. Appeal to the different senses - use a variety of visual, auditory and kinesthetic means to convey your messages. Speaking and listening involves the auditory sense, so balance this with lots of visual and kinesthetic elements.

7. Encourage interaction with the audience rather than passivity. For example, if you watch a good comedian, they engage an audience with interaction. As well as the obvious laughter (itself a great way of interacting), they have banter with individuals in the audience, invite people to call out and ask for a show of hands.

8. Have something up your sleeve - a story or anecdote, or a form of interaction - that you can use if you feel attention is flagging.

9. Use stories and metaphors because they are the things that engage attention, make an impact and are remembered long afterwards.

10. Be clear about what key messages you want the audience to take away. Use a simple phrase or mnemonic to make them memorable. If afterwards a member of the audience is asked what they gained from you, what do you want them to say?

An extra bonus is that as you inspire your audience, remembering that inspiration is contagious, you will receive an extra boost to your own inspiration!