I have been a professional magician and speaker for well over 20 years. During that time I have learned what audiences want and I can tell you that most audiences want to be entertained. Sure, audiences want to learn new skills, ideas, and be motivated to become a better person. But in that process they want to be entertained. This is not one of those articles where I try to encourage you to learn a few magic tricks to enliven your speech. Instead we are going to look at several skills that magicians use to make their acts more entertaining and transfer those skills to te world of public speaking. Harlen Tarbell was a great American magician in the early part of the Twentieth century. He completed a 8 volume course in magic that is still considered to be the textbooks of the magical performance arts to this day. In his classic work he mentioned several qualities a good magician must have to be a great magical entertainer. Some of these may seem obvious to some of you but take the time to evaluate yourself and ask if these "obvious" qualities are something you have. Tarbell states that, "You must have confidence in yourself, first of all, to present a program properly." Confidence is the first of the magical qualities that all speakers must possess. If you're motivating people to become a better person in any area of your life you must look and feel confident. You have to give off the vibes that you belong on stage and the lectern is your domain. Your true confidence should shine through with every word that comes from your mouth. The audience needs to feel your confidence in order to use the words you say to change your life. Confidence breeds motivation. Enthusiasm is the next magical quality that all performers have. Tarbell says, "Forget yourself and throw yourself into your performance, with enthusiasm." What an incredible statement! Your speech is not about you but is all about the people you are speaking to! You can't motivate an audience unless you have a fire about what you are speaking about. He also says, "If you love Magic (or speaking) you must bring that love, in the form of enthusiasm, into your performance. You know how contagious enthusiasm is. Your audience will catch the spark and will be alive with interest because of your enthusiasm." The next qualities that Tarbell speaks of are good will and pleasantness. He says, "Radiate good-will and pleasantness and you will get it in return from your audience." The Don Rickles approach does not work in this line of work. Unless, of course, you are Don Rickles. The truth of the matter is that the biggest names in the speaking business radiate this quality as bright and warm as the sun. Tony Robbins, Zig Ziggler, and Bob Procter are some of the warmest and friendliest people on the planet. What makes a good magician? Mr. Tarbell says, "The secret lies in their emphasizing their personalities." Personality is the next magical trait that will make you a great speaker. All three of the speakers mentioned above (Robbins, Ziggler, and Procter) are all individuals. They are able to convey their personality to the audience. This will magically set you apart from your competition. Let your own individual personality shine through with every word and sentence that you use. You are not Tony Robbins or Bob Procter and so you need to be yourself. Define your personality and let it shine from the stage. The last quality that makes a good magician is showmanship. Tarbell said that showmanship means, "the ability to put romance, mystery, the element of suspense, interest, emotional feeling, and effectiveness into your performance." All of the great speakers use different elements of storytelling to create a narrative that is alive and vibrant. A speech that is dry, boring, and spoken in the same tone of voice throughout is more of a lecture than a speech. Study storytelling, humor, and ways to create drama, suspense, humor, and emotional feeling so that you can add such elements into your performance. The magical qualities are those things that will make you stand out and make you better than your peers. To create magic in our speeches we don't need a magic wand. Using these magical qualities in your presentations will help you create all of the real magic that you can handle.