How To Connect To Your Audience?

Your Cheat Code To A Standing Ovation.

At some point in your life, you must have been tortured by a speaker who goes on and on. He seems to be the only person enjoying the speech, while everyone is glancing at their watches.

You don’t want to be such a speaker, do you?

You want your audience to wait for your every next line.

The question is – how?

The first step is to tailor your speech, according to your audience.

You probably won’t want a group of college students to be bombarded with data – right?

Similarly, while addressing a group of senior managers, you would like to cut the crap and come straight to the point.

In short – Give them what they want!

No one is interested in knowing who you are and what you have accomplished and how you have accomplished. They will be more interested in your speech if it’s about them.

So, use as many “you”s  as you can.
Talk about “their” lives, “their” jobs and “their” problems.

Greet your audience with energy and enthusiasm.

Let your voice reflect how pleased you are to meet them.
Your opening line sounds dull and mechanic; and you have already lost their attention.

Take care not to choke your speech with too many difficult words.

The purpose of a speech to convey the message, not to show off about vocab.

Keep it simple and speak slowly.

You don’t want to deliver a speech that only you are able to understand.

The other important thing is, to keep the session interactive and not turn it into a monologue.

Don’t just keep on forcing your ideas, ask them questions. Encourage them to ask questions and keep them engaged.

Instead of asking them to switch their phones off, and pay attention, try to win their attention.

Who doesn’t like to laugh a little?

Even if it’s a “serious” speech, put some jokes in it. You don’t have to be a stand up comedian for that.

But, that doesn’t give you a freedom to put any random joke from the internet into your speech.

Think of funny instances from your experience and use them to convey your ideas.

But there is a warning here – Don’t put too many of these jokes in your speech. It makes your speech sound less “serious”.

And yes, look the audience into their eyes.

It shows that you are confident about your subject.

It also helps you in winning the trust of the audience, because people trust confident people.

And one last point – Realx!

I know that you can do it.