By Ben Katz
We included Alex Hormozi on our “Best Public Speakers” list because of his informal style, dynamic gestures, his use of top-down structure and inspirational messaging.
Alex is an entrepreneur, investor and author of “$100M Offers,” “Leads” and “Money Models.” Together with his wife, he runs Aquisition.com, a portfolio of companies that generate an aggregate $200M a year. He has amassed millions of social media followers on his accounts by offering business advice and video content, and is known for his relaxed appearance and candid speaking style.
We reviewed Alex’s “How to get SO rich you question the meaning of making money,” where he breaks down preconceptions about work ethic and financial success, and leads his audience to a better understanding of how to maximize their impact.
What are the main communication takeaways?
Informal style: Alex is a showman; he is very intentional about the way he begins his presentation. In cut-off shorts, Croc sandals and a shirt that looks like he picked it off the floor this morning, he immediately challenges our expectations for what financial success looks like. Alex also doesn’t shy away from informal language: he uses profanity to emphasize that he’s a non-traditionalist. The way in which he structures his communication also reflects his informal style. Early in the video (~1:30) Alex inserts a short, direct address where he reveals that the presentation had been created as a last-minute change after a late-night epiphany. That immediately increases our attention, and makes us ask: “What discovery did he make that was so revolutionary that he abandoned his plan in order to show it to us?”
Dynamic gestures: Alex gives his presentation on a stage, which gives him the ability to move freely. He uses his body to narrate his stories. At 12:45, he moves across the stage, and mimes running and getting into a car. At 28:00, he begins a story about a conversation with his wife, where he demonstrates the feelings he had been having with large hand and arm gestures: the open palm, the point, the pincer. He gestures directly at his audience (1:05) to emphasize who will benefit from his work.
Top-down structure: Alex does a fantastic job of structuring his message. He begins with an intriguing premise (1:00): “Who wants to make so much money that they have time to ponder the meaning of money?” From there, he has us in the palm of his hand, as we eagerly await the answers that will make us more successful. Next, he defines his terminology. First, he redefines “work” (~4:30), so that he can coach the audience on how to work faster. He suggests that the hardest working person can be measured by their financial success. From there, he breaks down his presentation into a list of three topics: 1) How making money really works (leverage), 2) Why “new” is making you poor, and 3) Why better IS leverage.
Inspirational messaging: Alex speaks like a high school sports coach: tough, but inspirational. He believes he can demystify a complicated subject (financial success) for the audience, and cares that they are the ones who will benefit from it. He uses gestures - specifically the finger point - to show that he wants to motivate and inspire them to change their inefficient habits and replace them with new ones.
How could they improve?
Vocal dynamics: At times, Alex falls into some vocal traps: he often uses “vocal fry” (which conversely is used to convey informality), and uses repetitive pacing and volume. He also pauses frequently, which makes the presentation seem truncated, rather than flowing.
Gestures: While Alex does use gestures (the pincer, pointing) and physical space in a way that engages the audience, he does often stuff his hands into his pockets (again: informality), and sometimes uses general hand gestures (waving his arms around, shrugging) which dissipate the energy of his presentation.
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