There is something about famous public speakers. No matter what they are saying, somehow they can grab your attention with it. I have seen a few famous speakers who were so charismatic that it was almost scary. I saw Benjamin Netanyahu speak once on issues of Jewish identity to a pretty nationalistic audience, and was just blown away. I would normally have considered him a reactionary and not really listened to what he had to say, but there was something about how he said it that almost had me agreeing with him. Of course, the fascination was short-lived, but for a few minutes I was in the palm of his hand.
That is the power that famous speakers have. When you go and see a famous motivational speaker, a religious leader, or a politician, keep that power in mind. I have always thought that the best way to get information is through books. Read about an issue and decide where you fall on the spectrum. The thing you should learn from famous speakers is not what they are trying to peddle, but how they peddle it. Learn about charisma, leadership, rhetoric, and presentation. That is what a famous speaker can teach you better than anyone else.
Of course that does not mean that famous speakers never have anything to say. Many of them actually have an important message hidden in the rhetoric. It is true that from time to time, something can be communicated better in person than through writing. Your typical famous public speaker is usually a very verbal person. Many of them are actually not very good writers, and use their speaking skills to make up for the deficit. Just as famous thinkers write good books, famous speakers can write good speeches.
Still, my favorite part is always after the speech. I love watching the really famous speakers circulate among the crowd. Even if they are speaking through an immaculate sound system with a flawlessly designed presentation, many of them still do their best work when face to face. They can look their audience right in the eye that way, and make him understand that this message is especially for him. That is a much harder trick to pull off in front of a whole crowd of people. It can be done, but not with the same ease and alacrity. Learning that kind of social fluency is the reason that I go to seminars in the first place.
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