Michelle Singeltary blew the socks off her audience of 350+ women who attended this year’s Money Conference for Women, hosted by the YWCA of the Hartford Region in Connecticut as part of their financial literacy for women initiative.

She lived up to her impressive speaker introduction, which amongst all of the awards and accomplishments, described her as “the sassy and no nonsense woman.” Michelle Singeltary is a columnist for the Washington Post (her column the Color of Money) and is the author of Spend Well, Live Rich: how to get what you want with the money you have.

I listened to Michelle from two vantage points:

1. From the perspective of a woman who wants to and needs to get smarter about money. To read more about what I learned from Michelle about money – keeping it and making it work harder for you – click through to my summary.
2. From the perspective of an executive presentation coach who works with professionals to present themselves and their ideas to others more powerfully.

What can we learn from Michelle as a speaker / presenter?

What did she model for us that can help you to become a more powerful, confident and effective communicator in front of large groups?

Here’s what I took away:

• She spoke from the heart and brought all of her to the stage. We enjoyed Michelle as a personal finance guru; Michelle as a mother of 3; Michelle as a wife;  Michelle as a frugal, “cheap skate” who hangs on to money because “every penny has a purpose”‘ ; Michelle the faithful, church-devoted and tithing member; Michelle the woman.
• She expertly choreographed the energy build in the room, starting with a casual friendly beginning and leaving us with high energy determination.
• Her message was simple and her information was well organized. Specifically she introduced the Five S.T.E.P.S. to financial freedom and lasting wealth. Click through to read a summary of her talk.
• She was controversial and challenged our thinking with phrases like “credit is evil,” “stop swiping your life away,” and “you never save money when you spend it,” and “the sense of entitlement leads to financial ruin.” She warned our young people that they are “texting and talking way your wealth.” She motivated us with the idea that “priorities lead to prosperity” and that we must learn to discern between “needs and wants.”
• She shared personal stories throughout her presentation, including difficult stories from her family upbringing, to inspiring stories of her grandmother, to humorous moments with her children. This made us feel like she was one of us, not above the challenge and strife of life. Excellent rapport and connection with her audience.
• She included family photos in her presentation, including her wedding photo, her baby picture and teen daughter’s photo. This generated the “oooh” response from the audience and increased her likability.
• She was bold, not hesitate, to “sell” her books from the podium, including her newest one “21 day financial fast” and challenged us to take it. She did this right up front in the presentation.
• She gained our permission upfront to step on our toes and to talk straight and tough with us.
• She entertained us with streaming video, including short clips of video parodies, ridiculous but real advertising commercials to make her point.
• She allowed time for Q&A and handled it brilliantly. At one point, she had a young college graduate up in the front of the room and demonstrated how she could pay off her $60,000 in college loan debt in 2-3 years. Accountability was high in the room!

How could Michelle improve her speaking/presenting effectiveness?

I loved listening to and watching the powerful and sassy financial guru, Michelle Singletary. I have only two pieces of critique and constructive feedback for Michelle Singletary on her presentation skills:

1. Reduce the number of PowerPoint slides by 75% and clean them up. No slide, no matter how fancy or informative, can stand up to your magnificence. (you don’t even need them, really!)
2. Move away from the podium. Walk the stage. Let us enjoy your commanding presence more. It would be a real present!

With her powerful content and masterful delivery style, Michelle Singletary doesn’t need podiums or PowerPoint. She is powerful enough!

For more tips on how you can improve your presentation skill and confidence, check out our free presentation resources.

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