Ep. 063 — 4 Secrets to Deliver a Speech That Converts to Action

Release date: May 11, 2026

Hosted by Roddy Galbraith

A Maxwell Leadership Podcast Network production

Weekly highlights from The Speaker’s Edge — a Maxwell Leadership Podcast Network production hosted by Roddy Galbraith. Learn how to communicate with clarity, confidence, and impact — in business, on stage, and in life.

Listen or watch the episode:

• 🎧 Audio: Apple Podcasts
• 🎧 Audio: Spotify Podcasts
• 🎥 Video: YouTube
• 📘 Learn more about becoming a speaker or coach: MaxwellLeadership.com/JoinTheTeam
• ▶ Browse episodes & resources: MaxwellLeadership.com/TheSpeakersEdge

This Week’s Big Idea

The second most important transition a speaker can make is from teaching to learning — from telling people what to think, to creating the conditions where they discover it for themselves. In this episode, Roddy shares four secrets that transform a presentation from a lecture into an experience people choose to be part of. Because what people discover for themselves, they own. What they own, they act on. And what they act on, changes their life.

Key Takeaways

• People don't resist information — they resist having the thinking done for them. Stop teaching at the audience and start creating the space for them to discover the insight themselves.

• What people discover for themselves, they own. What they own, they defend. Nobody washes a rental car.

• Education doesn't create action — engagement does. When people are truly involved, they stop being persuaded and start persuading themselves.

• Instead of asking "how do I explain this better?", ask "how do I involve them in this more?" Engagement pulls people forward; it doesn't push them.

• Good questions open up thinking; answers often close it down. Ask more, talk less, and let people arrive at the insight themselves.

• The word "education" comes from the Latin "to draw out" — not to put in. The best communicators draw wisdom out of people's own experience.

• People don't resist selling — they resist uncertainty. Give people clarity, and they'll choose to buy. Pressure closes doors; clarity opens them.

Quote of the Week

"People love to learn, but they hate to be taught." — Roddy Galbraith

Resources & Practice

Before your next talk, presentation, or important conversation, run it through these four questions:

1. Am I trying to explain this — or am I creating a moment of discovery?
2. Is there a place where I could ask a question instead of making a statement?
3. Where am I relying on education to create action, when I should be creating engagement instead?
4. Am I making an offer with pressure — or with clarity?

Then try this: take one key point from your content and instead of stating it, ask a question that leads the audience to arrive at it themselves. Notice the difference in how they respond.

The shift from teaching to learning is subtle — but the results are anything but.

Get the companion guide here > MaxwellLeadership.com/TheSpeakersEdge

Learn about the Maxwell Leadership Certified Team: maxwellleadership.com/speak

Full Transcript (Ep. 063 — 4 Secrets to Deliver a Speech That Converts to Action)

Released: May 11, 2026

This transcript was auto-generated. It may contain minor errors. *Copy text adds attribution automatically

Roddy Galbraith:
"Hey guys, welcome back to the Speaker's Edge podcast — the podcast dedicated to helping you learn from some of the world's very best speakers and communicators so you can learn to master your message and inspire your audience every single time you speak. I'm your host for this podcast, Roddy Galbraith. I'm thrilled you've chosen to join us today. Got another great episode for you. If you want to be a better communicator, you want to be a better speaker, you are in the right place. In every episode we build on the simple idea that communication is a learnable skill — and it's worth learning because it will do more for your career, your business, and your self-confidence than any other skill you can develop.

Today we're continuing through the seven key transitions that every speaker needs to make to earn real influence with their audience. Last week we covered transition number one — the five secrets of shifting from me to the audience. Today we're on transition number two. But first, if you haven't downloaded the companion guide, go to MaxwellLeadership.com/TheSpeakersEdge. And if you enjoy the show, we'd love it if you rate and review as well.

---

TRANSITION TWO: FROM TEACHING TO LEARNING

Here's what happens after you make that first transition. Once your focus is genuinely on the audience, a new tension appears: you want to help them. And the most natural response to that is to teach. To explain. To tell them what they need to know.

It feels helpful. It feels responsible. But this is exactly where many speakers — without realising it — start to lose their audience.

Transition number two is from teaching to learning. From teaching at the audience, to them choosing to learn from you. They have the power. These are secrets six through nine in our series.

---

SECRET 6: PEOPLE DON'T WANT TO BE TAUGHT — THEY WANT TO DISCOVER

Most people think learning happens when something is explained clearly enough. If the logic makes sense, if the structure is simple, if the steps are easy to follow — then they'll get it, accept it, and act on it. So we explain. We tell them what to think. We say, "This is how you should approach this. Here are the exact steps."

But here's the thing: people don't resist information. What they resist is having the thinking done for them.

Think about John Maxwell. When presidents of countries invite him in to help transform their nation — and I've had the privilege of going with John to Guatemala, Paraguay, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Panama, and Argentina — they're not asking him to read out his book. They're asking him to create an experience that opens people up to learning. It's not the information. It's the transformation, the energy, the journey he takes people on.

The moment your speaking feels like teaching, people back off. They become passive. They might be looking at you, nodding, even taking notes — and be thinking about something else entirely. As John says, you can lose an audience who's still looking at you.

But the moment it feels like they're discovering something themselves — choosing to lean in — everything changes. What people discover for themselves, they own. What they discover for themselves, they defend. Nobody washes a rental car. But they'll wash their own. That's the difference between borrowed learning and owned learning.

So stop trying to deliver insights and start creating the conditions where they can arrive at the insight themselves. Don't just tell people what you want them to know — take them on a journey of discovery so they arrive at that point of understanding. Ask more and talk less. Let them engage their imagination. Show, don't just tell.

---

SECRET 7: EDUCATION DOESN'T SELL — ENGAGEMENT DOES

Most people believe that if someone understands something, they'll act on it. But I can tell you from personal experience — and maybe you can too — that's not how people work.

I've been trying to get back to a 32-inch waist for about 30 years. It's been on my list every year. I understand exactly what I need to do. I need to burn more calories than I eat. I don't need anyone to explain it further. I just need to do it. But understanding and doing are two completely different things.

The knowing-doing gap is enormous. We know, but that doesn't mean we do. If you want to change your results, understanding isn't enough — you need action. And understanding doesn't create action. Engagement does.

When people are truly engaged, they're not just listening — they're participating. They're thinking for themselves, reflecting for themselves, seeing themselves in what you're saying. And then something powerful happens: they stop being persuaded and they start persuading themselves.

So instead of asking "how do I explain this better?", ask "how do I involve them in this more?" Engagement doesn't push — it pulls. It entices. It draws people forward.

---

SECRET 8: IT'S NOT ABOUT THE ANSWERS — IT'S ABOUT THE QUESTIONS

Most speakers believe their job is to have all the answers. And if they don't, they feel exposed, unready, unworthy. We think: if I have the answers, they'll trust me. If I don't, I won't look like a leader.

But answers often close off people's thinking. Good questions open it up. Questions don't test people — they involve people. They create curiosity. They invite reflection. They create engagement.

Instead of saying: "Most people struggle with confidence when they speak" — try asking: "Have you ever found yourself about to stand up in front of a room, and you can feel this tension starting to build?"

Now they're thinking about it for themselves. They're remembering their own experience. They're involved. And when people are involved, their attention deepens, they lean forward, and they stay with you.

The word "education" actually comes from a Latin root meaning "to draw out" — not to put in. Not to push information from the outside. To draw out. Asking the right questions is one of the most powerful ways to do that.

That said — there's a balance. A skilled communicator knows how to move between pulling and pushing. At the right moment you draw insight out from their experience, and at the right moment you give them something they're now open to receive. Not because you pushed it onto them, but because they opened up to it. Too much telling, they resist. Too many questions without giving them anything, and it runs empty. The dance between the two — that's the art.

---

SECRET 9: PEOPLE DON'T WANT TO BE SOLD — THEY WANT CLARITY

People love to learn, but they hate to be taught. In the same way: people love to buy, but they hate to be sold. Nobody wants something done to them. They want the choice.

Most people think resistance comes from the selling — so they either push harder, or they avoid it altogether. But people don't actually resist sales. They resist uncertainty. When people aren't clear, they hesitate. They should. But when they have clarity — when they understand how something benefits them, who it's for, how it solves their specific problem — then the decision feels calm, natural, and safe. Because it's self-directed. They're choosing to opt in.

So it's not about pressure. It's about clarity. Give them clarity and let them choose. Because if it genuinely is for their benefit — and they can see that — why wouldn't they choose it?

---

Bringing it all together: transition two is the shift from teaching to learning.

- From instruction to discovery — so people choose to arrive at the insight themselves.
- From education to engagement — because engagement is what creates action, not understanding.
- From answers to questions — because questions open up thinking and pull people in.
- From selling to clarity — so people can choose to buy, rather than feeling sold to.

When you make this shift, people stop resisting and start engaging — with you, your message, your business, your brand. Because they're no longer being talked at. They're choosing to be part of the process.

The question to carry into your next presentation: are you trying to teach, or are you creating learning?

---

If you're interested in developing your speaking, the Maxwell Leadership Certified Team is the best place to do it. I've been working with John on the Maxwell Method of Speaking since 2010. Over 60,000 coaches worldwide in more than 168 countries. Go to MaxwellLeadership.com/Speak and jump on a call with a programme advisor. It could be the best call you've ever made.

Don't forget the companion guide at MaxwellLeadership.com/TheSpeakersEdge. Communication is a learnable skill. Keep learning. Learn to master your message and inspire your audience every single time you speak. Thanks for listening. I'll see you in the next episode. Until then, take care. Lots of love. Bye-bye. God bless."