Knees knocking is every speakers fear but it happens to the best of us. Use the fear factor as a positive response to kick start what you've got to tell your audience. Connecting with your audience is the first step in having a great time with good responses from the audience. Don't talk in a monologue tone or read your script word for word. Look up and into the faces in front of you expecting a receptive audience every time.
Your audience has come to listen and learn as you share your personal story. Be open to their response expecting to learn from them too. Don't lose your audience, keep them on the edge of their seats with new ideas and great information or your speech will be lost in the rafters.
Arrive early to make sure no surprises are lurking in the corner. Familiarize yourself with the audience by mixing among the people who are going to be your audience. You can just walk around; greet the people warmly as they arrive. When you get up to the podium take a moment to scan the welcoming faces you've already met in your audience.
The audience has come to listen to you, they want your address to be successful. Anyone who has been at the podium themselves will be pulling hard on your behalf. No one wants you to fail. All of us make a few gaffes on occasion but let it go. Keep focused on your topic, your purpose as the speaker is to bring their atttention to something of importance as it may affect their future.
Add a joke only when appropriate and certainly nothing risque. Entertaining your audience helps add good stimulation and energy within the group. If they don't get it, watch for telltale signs to help guide you back onto the right track within your intention for this audience.
Assuming you do succeed with your intention, your attendees will show sincere appreciation for your effort and successful performance as a good speaker. Just relax at the beginning and this will help your audience relax with you. If you mention your shortcomings to them right in the beginning, they consciously observe them, but if you don't mention anything, they probably will never notice.
Connecting with your audience means establishing eye contact with them. Just be natural, as much as it is possible for you. If it's a totally unknown audience, you have to make an extra effort, but get them to think with you, nod their heads with you, pause with you when you want to stress on a certain point.
The tempo of your speech should be moderate, not fast at all. Use your speech consciously to bring home the points to your audience, and give them the time to assimilate your words, before you jump to the next point.
If there is a question and answer session after your address, try and be as calm as possible. There are sometimes a few aggressive characters in the audience, and if you start a debate, it does not get your point across, because often debates remain unresolved.
You should never be aggressive at any point, because that defeats the purpose of your whole speech. Maybe you can talk to the few attendees who expressed disagreement after the speech, not in front of the whole audience.
In today's workplace presentation tools are necessary. If it is a presentation for your own colleagues, or people with whom you work in other establishments, the connection is even more important. Nevertheless avoid using insider stories, because there may be some in the group who are not familiar with them and will be left in the dark with unnecessary questions.
You have to cater to each and every person in the audience, and connect with them individually. You must show an authentic interest in your audience, only then can you expect to get the same interest from them.
Smile often and sincere. Let your face show kindness and understanding with your audience. What you send out in thought will come rushing back as well received or rejected by your audience. Good luck.
No comments:
Post a Comment