Lessons from an alpaca

What does connecting with an alpaca have to do with public speaking?

A lot, as I recently discovered.

Last month, I had the pleasure of visiting my friends Sue and Steve in their beautiful valley in South West Wales, not far from where I grew up.

Their share their lush home with a herd of alpacas, each with its quirks and unique personality.

Alpacas are fascinating creatures—attentive, discerning, and “ruminative”.

They observe you closely, sizing you up, shy, and often skittish.

Any connection has to be on their terms.

Yes. If you want to get close, you have to…

Know your audience.

Guided by Sue and Steve, I stood still and waited, patiently, to see if the alpacas would come to me…

Giving them the time and space to get curious.

When one approached, I leaned in gently,

and yes, made eye contact!

Thankfully, there was no spitting involved (though Steve warned me it’s always a possibility).

Instead, I felt a gentle connection with the lovely inhabitants of a verdant Welsh valley.


So, back to public speaking.

How can you get curious about your audience?

Lean in, meet them where they are,

And show them that you genuinely want to connect?

Let’s start there.