audience in public speaking Archives - Bronwyn Ritchie

[Quick public speaking tip] Use your time well to create success

One of the secrets of great speakers is their use of time.

They know that if they have been given a time limit for their speech or presentation, that they will stick to that.

Why?

There are four very good reasons for us all to do the same, if we want to be successful.

Sticking to time forces you to be very clear in your message – no waffling, no beating around the bush. And that sort of focus really adds power to your message. If you want an outcome – for your audience to do, be or think something as a result of your presentation, make that message very, very clear.

Someone may have been hired you to speak – an event organiser, the program co-ordinator for an organisation. If you want to be re-hired, you need to keep that organiser confident that you can deliver the goods and make their job easier. If they have to step in to haul you off the stage, or if their whole schedule is upset because you spoke too long, then – unless your content went through the roof in terms of outcomes -they will not be terribly enthusiastic about re-hiring you or recommending you to their colleagues.

Really this is just common courtesy, not just a selfish, calculated piece of behaviour. You, me, us, extending courtesy, thinking of how we impact other people. It should be part of our value system, deeper and stronger than any need to hustle or sell or manipulate. It feels right. And of course, how we treat people will be part of your brand, part of the impact you make, and part of the way you will be remembered, because the behaviour indicates the deeper values. We are, after all, creating relationships which will bring in returns in multiples, far easier than trying to get business or results from every single stand-alone speaking gig.

Your audiences will form an opinion of you as well. As Stephen Keague said, ‘No audience ever complained about a presentation or speech being too short‘, but they will complain if you speak for too long.

Cuban President Fidel Castro is known for having delivered the longest continuous speech ever given in the General Assembly of the United Nations. Delivered in September 1960, it lasted for 4 hours and 29 minutes. He also spoke in a New York church, at a gathering of supporters, people who supported Cuba and its policies and having a closer relationship with the United States. He spoke for 4 hours and 16 minutes. After three hours, and the presentation of statistics from wads of paper, some of his audience had fallen asleep in the pews. Others walked out exhausted, leaving the church half full by the end of his speech. And these were enthusiastic supporters!

None of us wants the audience falling asleep like that, or walking out; after all what we want (and need) is their attention. Because something else that all speakers want (and need) from their audiences is to be remembered, to be reiterated around the water cooler the next day, quoted in memories of the event, and requested for the next conference or training day. To be remembered.

At Gettysburg in 1863, Edward Everett delivered a 13,607 word speech, that clocked in at 2 hours. The world has forgotten those 13,607 words, but not the three-minute address given by President Abraham Lincoln – famed and certainly not forgotten.

The value is not in how much you say but in what you say – your message.

And I know from experience that when you have not prepared properly, not honed your message to fit the time allowed, you find yourself racing through, speaking quickly just to fit it all in. University professors might have wanted a display of all the knowledge I had, but my audiences just want what is relevant to them and what they need to learn or believe or use. The curse of T.M.I. (Too Much Information) is very real. And if it results in a speedy delivery, then you will have lost the advantage of being able to add power to your words with a variety or pace, and the use of pause. It can also result in having no flexibility, no space to answer unexpected question, deal with interruptions or change with changing time slots. Knowing exactly the message and main points allows for all of those things.

It may be useful to you to time your speech. Practise it beforehand and time it. Or if you write it out beforehand, (I’m not sure why you would do that, but there may be good reason), you can use the fact that people tend to speak at 110 to 140 words per minute. That will allow you to work out how long the speech will take. Of course if you speak faster or slower than that, you will need to adjust. But be prepared enough to know how much time you have and how much time you will take. Winston Churchill said, “I’m going to make a long speech because I’ve not had the time to prepare a short one” and undoubtedly that was not to his advantage. Preparation counts!

I couldn’t resist reminding you of another famous quote of Winston Churchill’s “A good speech should be like a woman’s skirt, long enough to cover the subject and short enough to create interest.”

So while it may seem a cool, confident thing to be relaxed about the time you take, it’s better to build the habit of being aware of time and using it well. You create a focussed powerful message, you increase the chances of building favourable outcomes for your event coordinator and audience and you are free to speak with flexibility and engaging, memorable power. Watch the clock and you will have added another success tool to your speaking tool kit, and be a speaker who is remembered and rehired.

[Quick public speaking tip] Who cares?

Who cares?

Do you?

Does your audience?

who_cares

What about your speaking success? Do you care about that?

If you care about being successful, you are going to have to consider your audience. Success is all about them.

Consider your audience if you want to be successful.

Show them you care.

They have to feel that you have their best interests in mind, not just your own agenda.

While you are speaking to them, it has to be apparent that you care about them and what they want and need.

Otherwise you lose their trust, and the chance to entertain, inspire, persuade, compel.

…………………

Do you care that what you say aligns with your values and your truth …

about speaking with integrity?

Because if you aren’t in alignment with what you are communicating, saying, you will suffer, feel strange, removed, uncomfortable. You will have to fight it.

I spent years speaking successfully in competition, and yet feeling just that way, as though what I was doing was outside my reality somehow. It’s only since I stopped competing and started helping/inspiring/teaching with my speaking that I have realised the disconnect – I was speaking to win (success). Certainly the content was from within my own values and what I wanted to communicate, but there was always the dual interest, my audience and my success – and so the interest was divided between audience and success instead of focused on that audience.

It is sooooo much easier to show you care – genuinely.

And if you don’t, then I can only say find a way that you do, and use that as a frame for all that you present.

Use your speaking skills to create the connection with your audience and engage them. Use stories and humour. Interact with them. Call back to incidents or people they know. You have to have engagement, anyway, in order to begin the process of persuasion. And it will make it easier for you to feel in flow and connected …

and caring!

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Herding as persuasion. What kind of shepherd are you? Or perhaps you are the sheep.

We fit in. We fit in with society, with our families, with our peers.

From a very young age, and from way back in the mists of history, we have been shepherded by our families, our tribe, our peers into conforming.

There was a time, and perhaps there are still times, when our very survival depended/depends on it.

So the urge to conform is strong in us,

especially in situations where we may not know what is appropriate, expected and safe.

I felt it when I attended a presentation early in my days in business.

He had already used various techniques that had me on edge, uncomfortable, aware of the not-so-subtle attempts at persuasion.

He had audience members becoming more and more excited.

“Raise your hand if …” and up went the hands.

Say “Yes” if you agree. And they were shouting “yes”.

“Who wants my freebie?” And before he had finished describing the thousands of dollars’ worth, two gentlemen were running to the stage for his USB.

“Everyone who belongs to my tribe run to the back of the room to sign up.”

And they did.

He had started with a room full of people. Many had left, but the numbers were still quite large.

I had no desire to buy.

I was very aware of what he was doing.

It was unsubtle and ugly,

and yet still I felt an outsider, uncomfortable, boring!

The power of belonging to the herd is incredibly strong.

And more recently, I attended a multi-level-marketing presentation.

I was late, partly because I was reluctant to attend, having agreed to make up numbers for a friend, and found myself sitting in a front row on a chair while about ten people sat on lounge chairs and padded chairs in an arc behind me.

And here again …

“Raise your hand if you want to live your dream.”

And the hands went up.

“Who’s excited by this offer?” And they very nearly shouted “Hallelujah!”

Then the presenter started inviting people to give testimonials and it became fairly obvious that there were only three of us who were not already members of the scheme.

Lovely to have so many people forming a community and supporting my friend who had hosted the event.

And while I felt uncomfortable sitting at the front, the herd force wasn’t as powerful as my first experience because I had gone in without any hopes.

At the earlier event I had been drawn by a particular suggestion in the marketing.

The herd instinct is a strong force for persuasion, especially in the unsure or vulnerable.

Have you been in an audience and felt the force of it?

Perhaps you have been a shepherd, using the force – hopefully with more subtlety and integrity than those I experienced!

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Enjoy the special flavour of the unpredictable

There never has been security. No man has ever known what he would meet around the next corner;
if life were predictable it would cease to be life, and be without flavour.

Eleanor Roosevelt.

Harsh words, those, especially for those of us who like to be prepared.

“Never.” … “There never has been security.”

Still, we try to achieve it as much as we can,

prepare for all eventualities,

do our best to avoid the embarrassment of fumbling for an answer, for forgotten words, for a prepared logical flow.

And yet we know, underneath, that what Eleanor Roosevelt said is entirely true.

There will always be the unpredictable.

And we will prepare for that too.

………………….

What about the flavour it brings though?

The flavour of life … the flavour of an unpredictable speaking experience.

I like to think that being a speaker operates on at least 3 levels.

There is me, you, the speaker.

There is what I call the eagle eye – the ability we have to watch ourselves and our audiences from above and evaluate how things are going, in order to adapt.

And then there is the concept that beside the conversation we are having with our audience is another experience, the shared experience of being together in a presentation.

We can leverage that with little moments of quirking an eyebrow at the audience as if to say “See what I did there?”, or less subtly discussing what is actually going on. We can create a shared experience in this level.

If the experience is unexpected, this is where we can really capitalise on that flavour Eleanor mentioned – enjoy the moment together with the audience,

forge a bond of shared experience,

of response to the unexpected

with humour, with pathos or with jointly created action.

So while those un-predictable events can be challenging, especially if we worry too much about them beforehand, or label them failures afterwards,

they can also be the source of some of the most powerful and enjoyable experiences a speaker can have.

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The Holy Grail for speakers

So what if we were asked to define the Holy Grail for speakers?

What would you say?

This has me intrigued now.

So the Holy Grail is a feeling?

What is that feeling?

For me, then,

the feeling is natural

not forced,

confident without being egotistical,

though sometimes a performance.

It is uplifting,

a quiet satisfaction sometimes,

sometimes exhilarating.

It is absolute connection,

shared laughs, emotional highs, and sad lows,

sudden understanding

and joy in discovery,

all shared.

That is me, the speaker, but what about the listener,

the audience member,

what does that person see as the Holy Grail of speaking,

of being in an audience?

What does that feel like?

And I, like you, have sat in an audience, just as we have stood or sat or walked as the speaker.

What is that feeling, as an audience?

We wanted to feel that connection

that experience,

those emotions,

the energy,

those shared learnings,

that absolute connection.

Sometimes we wanted to be the only person in that audience, alone in the experience,

at other times we felt kinship with all the others sitting or standing or online beside us.

We wanted to trust,

for the feeling of communication to be natural,

unforced.

We wanted to feel somehow changed by the experience,

more prepared to face our challenges,

validated in our choices already made,

motivated to go ahead,

uplifted, entertained, bemused,

if only for the duration of the presentation.

Is this the holy grail of speaking,

and does it exist,

has it ever existed???????

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[Quick Public Speaking Tip] One of the Secret Ingredients that Create Memorability

Memorability is important for us speakers, as it is for anyone building a brand, creating change, inspiring action, or wanting to be rehired.

If you want your audience to remember your message, there are several wonderful ingredients you can add to the mix.

Today let’s look at this one

… create an emotional connection.

Maya Angelou is quoted as saying “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

When you make an emotional connection, you open up the pathways in your audience’s brains that facilitate recall. Whatever you associate with that emotion will be retained along with the emotion, in their memories.

If you want to introduce a new way of thinking or doing for your audience to adopt, create an emotional connection. Having already researched your audience, you should have some idea of what excites them, what they cry about, what their problems are. And you can use that information to connect to their emotions. Use examples that will push those buttons, appeal to what matters to them most.

Tell stories that create an emotion.

Use words that heighten emotion.

Use emotive verbs. Rather than “she said” use “she screamed”, rather than “he went” use “he raced”. Give your adjectives and adverbs the same treatment.

You can watch your audience as you go, and get a feel for what moves them.

It is also a fact that while statistics and logic and facts and figures are useful in supporting a point, they will not have the power over your audience that emotion does. People will make decisions (and give you their attention) based on emotions … and justify them afterwards with logic.

So create an emotional connection with your audience and mix it in and around your facts, statistics and testimonials to engage your audience, have them remember your message and be open to making changes in their lives.

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[Quick public speaking tip] 3 Ways that Listening is key if you are speaking to persuade

It’s not just speaking … when we speak to persuade.

Successful persuasion also lies in the ability to actively listen, even in the field of public speaking.

Successful speaking to persuade relies on knowing your audience.

What are their needs and wants.

How are they thinking about your proposal.

What are they likely to favour about it?

What is going to stand in the way of them being persuaded?

What are their doubts?

What are their objections?

What are the obstacles to them moving forward with your suggestions?

Listen to them – before the presentation – survey them, talk to them, ask the event organiser about them – and listen.

Listen to them – during the presentation – ask them questions – and listen.

Successful speaking to persuade relies on seeing moments where you can gain agreement – maybe a comment or question from your audience, a situation from which you can draw an analogy, maybe a report back from a group discussion.

Listen for those and keep a line of thinking open that will allow you to use those moments to really amp up the energy of your speaking response.

Successful speaking to persuade relies on your being adaptable. It’s one of the lessons I teach in my workshops and seminars on PowerPoint. Be prepared to change the course or direction of your presentation. If it seems that your audience puts value on one point or discussion over another, or if the feedback, comments or discussion suggests that a different direction would wok best, then be prepared to change the structure of the presentation that you had prepared in advance.

This means that not only is your structure working for you. It also means that you are building trust. You care enough about your audience to change direction for them and you are confident enough in your material and your beliefs to change direction for them.

Listen, then to their comments, to their suggestions and the tone of their discussions.

So I have covered three areas of listening that will build the success of your persuasive speaking – knowing your audience, watching for opportunities to ramp up the energy and being adaptable.

Do you use any other listening techniques to successfully persuade?

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[Quick public speaking tip] Why would your audiences want to do homework?

Why would you give your audience homework?

How could homework be a gift?

~

Most school children hate homework, or at least see it as a chore.

Why do school children have homework?

I imagine there are many reasons, but one must be to solidify the learning done in school.

Because we learn by doing.

We reinforce theory with practice.

We multiply the learning by applying what we have learned to our own lives.

We take ownership of the learning when we implement it.

~

We take ownership of the learning when we implement it.

~

Spend time in the classroom or with an inspirational speaker, and we take in theory.

We take in enthusiasm, too, hopefully!

We take in the steps to success.

We take those “in”… at the time.

But how far “in” do they go as soon as we leave the classroom

… as soon as the speaker leaves the podium

… as soon as the lesson has ended?

How often have you listened to a motivational speaker, felt motivated … and then several weeks, or even days, later, if someone asked what you were doing differently now, could not remember what his message was or what you had felt so motivated to do????

Clever speakers give their audiences homework.

Caring speakers who really want their audiences to achieve or grow or benefit give their audiences the gift of homework.

They will learn by doing.

They will reinforce theory with practice.

They will multiply the learning by applying what they have learned to our own lives.

They will take ownership of the learning when they implement it.

So if you care about your audience, really want them to change, really want to be of service, what will you ask them to do when they get home after your presentation?

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[Public Speaking Quotation] The success of your presentation

“The success of your presentation will be judged not by the knowledge you send but by what the listener receives.”
— Lilly Walters

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[Quick Public Speaking Tip] You – Me – The Public Speaking Power in Creating “Us”

Public Speaking is all about you, isn’t it?

You the speaker.

You creating a speech.

You delivering a speech.

You taking the audience on a journey.

You affecting the outcome.

You presenting stories, humour, information, ideas, products.

Me, the speaker.

Me, facing my fears.

Me, being confident.

Me, remembering the best words to use.

Me, creating energy in the room.

Me, finally achieving success as a speaker.

This blog is aimed at You (and if you are reading this, then it is about “me”).

I am writing and speaking to you, hoping to give you ideas and resources that will be of value to you as a speaker.

Strange, then, that the one sure foundation of success is the ability, once the presentation begins (or even in the marketing beforehand) to make it about us – all of us in the room, all of us on this journey to being better, living better, being and living more easily.

Not just the audience – the “you” to whom we speak – else we become preachers, philosophers, at least one step, if not a whole staircase removed, from that audience, that “you”.

We are all on this journey together, supporting each other.

How can we best ensure that, in our blogs, in our social media, in our speaking?

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[Public Speaking Quotation] … for Sweet Benjamin

“Imprison it”…? Hmm. My mother used to say to me “Put your words on the palm of your hand and look at them before you speak.” I liked that. Sweet Benjamin needs to guard against speaking without thinking.

If he’s going to be a speaker, he needs to consider his message and his audience before he speaks.

But “imprison” …? What do you think?

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[Quick speaking tip] What was it they said?

Yesterday you heard a fabulous speaker – wonderful, inspiring, eloquent – with so much to share. You walked away buzzing, happy, enthusiastic and you remarked what a fantastic presenter they were.

That was yesterday. Today. What do you remember of that presentation, that fabulous, wonderful, inspiring, eloquent presentation?

Do you remember the next step that you were inspired to take? Are you feeling different about something? Have you changed your behaviour? What do you remember?

Do you remember the clothes they wore? Do you remember the joke they told, or just that they were funny?

Three weeks later. What do you remember?

Chances are it will be one thing – one idea, one word, maybe one graphic, or maybe the person’s style.

No matter how much information the speaker gave you, chances are, still, that you will not remember much more than that one thing.

Chances are also that it will have been attached to an emotion … happy, sad, euphoric, devastated, frustrated, angry … and that’s why you remembered it.

Where will you be adding or creating emotion next time you speak?

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Q & A – What to say if you don’t know the answer

Many speakers fear and avoid a Q & A.

Why … because they fear a disaster spiraling out of control.

“What if someone asks a question and I don’t know the answer?”

Experienced speakers know, however, that rather than being a disaster, a Q&A is a wonderful opportunity and they prepare to leverage that opportunity.

“But how can you prepare for every question? No-one can know the answer to everything!”

Let’s look, instead, at preparing for the opportunity buried within this seemingly impossible disaster.

First step … If you don’t know the answer, admit it. That is not a disaster, in itself, or in the making.

Admitting to not knowing the answer is a chance to build authenticity.

Audiences are reasonable. They understand that in the avalanche of information available, no one person can know it all.

There is nothing authentic or credible about someone trying to side-step a question with blustering. Much better to tell the truth.

But before you lose your credibility as an expert, have a plan for response to these questions.

1. If it’s possible, know the experts in the room. Throw the question to one of them, and you are providing a resource just as much as if you had given an answer. You have provided an answer. You have created or reinforced a connection with the other expert. And you have positioned yourself within a community of experts.

2. You can also refer the question back to the audience in general. You are building engagement here with your interaction. If it is possible to allow discussion, you can build a sense of community within the audience. If it’s appropriate you can ask for opinions, stories and examples as well as facts.

3. Finally, saying “No comment” just doesn’t work. You appear either to be completely ignorant and helpless on the subject, or worse still, trying to hide something. If there is no way to answer in the moment, commit to getting the answer to the questioner as soon as possible – to either giving them good sources/resources at the end of your presentation or to communicating an answer in coming days. If you cannot answer because it is not appropriate or you are not at liberty to answer, explain why. Again, audiences are generally reasonable and understanding.
This is also providing an opportunity to reinforce your respect for your audience and its members. Answering with integrity and an honest effort to help, you are showing respect for the person asking the question and for the question itself, no matter how awful the question or the motives of the questioner.

That respect is all part of the process of building and maintaining your credibility and your authenticity. And Q&A has given you the opportunity to contribute more to that process. Rather than being a disaster waiting to happen, Q&A becomes a valuable opportunity.

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How to communicate what really matters to your audience

So What? How to communicate what really matters to your audience

Mark Magnacca

The people a business tries to communicate with, sell to, or convince don’t really care about the business. Nor do they care what it is offering them—until they understand exactly how it will benefit them. In this book, world-renowned sales consultant Magnacca shows explains how to answer the “So What?” question brilliantly, every time. => http://bit.ly/Zxn7TI

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Harness the Power of Change to Keep your audience engaged.

People notice change. You notice the hum of the air-conditioner when it comes on and when it goes off – but not in between. So change will get attention in your presentations as well.

Change what the audience sees of you and your environment.

Change your stance and gestures.

Change your position and location to emphasis a point.

Change the type of visual aids you are using – maybe from flip chart to object to slides.

Introduce a video clip into your presentation.

Make sure your slides do not follow a template.

Introduce something very different or unexpected.

Change the way you present. Use silence and pauses. Change your tone of voice and your speaking volume. All of these will match what you are trying to deliver – facts, stories, data, persuasion, all require different presentation styles, but the change caused by this will also keep attention.

Change your material.

Signpost changes, or new points you are making by using a sentence or a word, and a gesture, that heralds something new. This regains audience attention as well as whetting their appetite for more. Change topics.

Change the state of the audience. Have them move into groups to discuss a concept or share ideas about a topic. Change later to simply discussing with a neighbour.

Ask questions. Have them raise their hands to answer. This changes their physical state and allows a change in mental attention as well. Get them moving in some other way.

Changes in your presentation, in your presentation style and in the audience’s own physical, emotional and mental states will keep their attention focussed and re-focussed.

(c) Bronwyn Richie
If you want to include this article in your publication, please do, but only if you include the following information with it:

Bronwyn Ritchie is a professional librarian, a writer, and an award-winning speaker and trainer.
She is a certified corporate trainer and speech contest judge with POWERtalk , a certified World Class Speaking coach, and has had 30 years experience speaking to audiences and training in public speaking. Boost your speaking success, click here for Bronwyn’s FREE 30 speaking tips. Join now or go to http://www.30speakingtips.com

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Quick public speaking tip – Is your audience illiterate?

Well, are they?

Probably not.

If your words are on the screen or sheet of paper, then let the audience read for themselves. This will have enormous impact, especially if your audience is used to presenters slavishly following the test on their visuals.

You are presenting your message verbally, and visuals are just that – images or groups or words that support your message. They are not the message itself. If necessary, you may have to explain this, first, because many audiences have been trained by presenters who cover their inadequacies by using their visuals as the message.

This may just be why you will make an impact if you can present without using this method. You will be different. You will be seen as so much more confident and competent as a person.

But underneath all of that is the fact that your audience is not illiterate. Don’t annoy them by reading to them what they can read themselves.

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Research more than the content when you prepare your speech

When you start building a speech or presentation, the first thing you think of is the content. What will you say? How will you say it? What message do you want to communicate? And what do you want your audience to say or think or do differently? So you start researching that content – on the internet, at the library, with your friends and from the experts.

Content, however, is not the only thing you need to research if your speech or presentation is to be a success. If you want your audience to say or think or do something differently, you will need to know how to “pitch” your content to this particular audience.

Everything that you say or do in your presentation has to be geared to that audience… what they will be receptive to, what their triggers are, the language that they will respond to.

So in researching that presentation to write it, or prepare it, you will also need to research the audience.

Find out as much as you can – their age range, gender, income levels, dreams, needs, wants, culture. What are their likes and dislikes? What will excite them, offend them, unnerve them? What do they wear? What keeps them awake in the middle of the night?

You can gain much from a registration form, especially if you can design it yourself, or have a hand in designing it.

You can ask the event manager, or the person who hired you. You can research their company or organisation, talk to them and their friends and colleagues.

In your preparation routine, you can mingle with audience members before your speech.

Then you can use the information you have gained in constructing and presenting your speech. Use your knowledge of their interests and dreams, to choose your most persuasive stories, points and suggestions.
You will choose language that they understand, and that is not irritating or offensive to them, and subject matter to suit that audience – themes, supports, anecdotes all will be tailored to them.

One of the strongest engagement techniques in presentations is WIIFM (What’s in it for me?) and you need to be reminding your audience regularly of why they should keep listening to your presentation, and of just what they would gain from your suggestions (or lose by not following them).

I’m not sure whether researching the audience is more important than researching content. What do you think?

I do know that for the content to be effective, the research you do on your audience will be vital.

©2012 Bronwyn Ritchie
Please feel free to reproduce this article, but please ensure it is accompanied by this resource box.

Bronwyn Ritchie has 30 years’ experience speaking to audiences and training in public speaking – from those too nervous to say their own name in front of an audience to community groups to corporate executives. To take your public speaking to the next level, get free tips, articles, quotations and resources, at http://www.pivotalpublicspeaking.com

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Quick public speaking tip – Know your audience

And the first tip is to know your audience.

This is what underlies the construction of most of your content. It is the reason to talk about the benefits of a product instead of the features. It is the reason to use language the audience understands. Look at your technical terms, and any jargon that they may not understand. Use examples, stories, quotes and other support material that has relevance to their lives and their interests. You will keep their attention and their interest. And if your presentation has been advertised in media or in a conference program, the material in that advertising is what drew people to your session, so try to stick to it, or they will disengage very quickly.

So research you audience before you create your presentation if you can. Find out how best to dress, speak and what will meet their needs, or solve their problems and you have the first step to keeping their attention.

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Quick public speaking tip – the words you use

Consider your audience when you are choosing the words that you use –the vocabulary. Speak to them in a language they understand. Look at your technical terms, and any jargon that they may not understand. Use examples, stories, quotes and other support material that has relevance to their lives and their interests. You will keep their attention and their interest.

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Public Speaking success comes from knowing your audience

Your audience knows whether you are speaking to them, or just presenting information. They will either feel the connection or tune out very quickly. With any conversation, whether it be informal or a formally presented speech or something in between, you keep that conversation going by choosing things to talk about that interest the other person, get them responding. So you need to know what interests your audience, what they will respond to.

This is what underlies the construction of most of your content.

It is the reason to talk about the benefits of a product instead of the features.

It is the reason to use language the audience understands. Look at your technical terms, and any jargon that they may not understand. Use examples, stories, quotes and other support material that has relevance to their lives and their interests. You will keep their attention and their interest.

And if your presentation has been advertised in media or in a conference program, the material in that advertising is what drew people to your session, so try to stick to it, or they will disengage very quickly.

So research you audience before you create your presentation if you can.

Find out as much as you can – their age range, gender, income levels, dreams, needs, wants, culture.

You can gain much from a registration form.

You can ask the event manager.

In your preparation routine, you can mingle with them before your speech.

Then you can use that information in constructing your speech. If you need to persuade, for example, you can use your knowledge of their interests and dreams.

You will choose language that they understand, and that is not irritating or offensive to them, and subject matter to suit that audience – themes, supports, anecdotes all will be tailored to them. Find out how best to dress, speak and what will meet their needs, or solve their problems and you have the first step to keeping their attention.

…………………………………………………

(c) Bronwyn Ritchie
If you want to include this article in your publication. please do. but please include the following information with it:

Bronwyn Ritchie is a professional librarian. writer. award-winning speaker and trainer. She is a certified corporate trainer and speech contest judge with POWERtalk, a certified World Class Speaking coach, and has had 30 years experience speaking to audiences and training in public speaking. In just 6 months time, you could be well on the way to being confident, admired, successful, rehired. Click here for 30 speaking tips FREE. Join now or go to http://www.30speakingtips.com

audience, audience in public speaking, persuasion in public speaking, public speaking

Is it ethical to segment an audience, socially, to persuade?

Meet me in the coffee shop for a cuppa and join in the discussion. => http://bit.ly/W47hiy

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Public Speaking quote – Audience response

“It’s not how strongly you feel about your topic, it’s how strongly they feel about your topic after you speak.”

~Tim Salladay

audience, audience attention, audience in public speaking, data presentation, public speaking, speech structure

Public speaking tip: Are you pushing out your audience by pushing in the dates, figures and statistics?

Dates, figures and statistics are all very powerful ways to support your points.

Overuse them, though, and they just become boring, and your audience will turn off.

If data is absolutely necessary, use your slides to create a visual rendition of it.

Tell stories about it.

Find some way to relate it to your audience – percentages of people like them, for example, or of their country.

audience in public speaking, data presentation, public speaking

Public Speaking tips – What use is information?

Yes you are an expert in your field. Yes you can present mountains of information. But it will not impress your audience, nor will it create an impact … unless you make it relevant. Make it relevant to your audience. How will it solve their problems? How will it make life better or more profitable? Choose the pieces of information that will be of most use to them. Each piece of data or fact should be couched in a point about its usefulness. Use stories and case studies to further make an impact.

audience in public speaking, humour in public speaking, public speaking

If you don’t want your humour to fall flat, get to know your audience

Think about your favourite speaker, or perhaps about a speaker you admire hugely. Chances are they use humour. Humour is certainly one of the elements of success as a speaker. Many successful speakers use it. That does not mean, however, that we should all use humour in every speech we give. It may not be our personal speaking style, and it needs far more skill and finesse than just throwing some good jokes into our speeches.

What may be a “good” joke on one occasion may be an absolute insult on another. And that will depend largely on the audience. Before you speak at any occasion, you need to know about that audience so that you do not insult them. Research their interests, their political persuasion, beliefs, this customs and their history. If you want to avoid insulting your audience be very aware of their culture.

Robert Orven said “I’m beyond being shocked – but I’m not beyond being offended.” Questionable humour may suit one audience but not another. So be very sure of your audience when you choose your humour. Be sure you are aware of your audience’s mores and beliefs and their humour buttons.

While you are researching your audience you are also gathering material that you can use to create humour. Imagine being able to share a joke with your audience about the event or the venue – something that they find humorous or ironic about their situation. It will be powerful because they are already open to the humour in that situation. Perhaps there is someone within the group who is already using humour in some way and you can call back to that and share in it. Maybe there is someone who has a particular character trait that they are used to being ribbed about. Be careful! If you can turn the humour against yourself because you share that same character trait it will be so much better.

So research your audience to mine possible situational humour. Find out their favourite sports teams, their home town, well-known people within the group and its history. You can send a pre-presentation survey or questionnaire. You can interview the program coordinator or event organiser or the person who invited you to speak. Read the organisation’s own publications and those of their particular area of involvement in the world or their profession. Talk to people who have been members of the group for a long time. Gather the stories. What are their idiosyncrasies? Find out what they think is funny. Uncover any running gags. There you have a source for humour customised and tailored to work for this group.

And that means you don’t need to bring in generic jokes that someone else has written, unless you re-write them to suit the situation. Being able to relate your humour to the people in your audience is a powerful way to connect with them and to take them on the journey of your presentation.

= = = =

© Bronwyn Ritchie … If you want to include this article in your publication, please do, but please include the following information with it:
Bronwyn Ritchie is a professional librarian, writer, award-winning speaker and trainer. She is a certified corporate trainer and speech contest judge with POWERtalk, a certified World Class Speaking coach, and has had 30 years’ experience speaking to audiences and training in public speaking. In just 6 months time, you could be well on the way to being admired, rehired as a speaker, confident and sucessful, with the 30 speaking tips. Click here for 30 speaking tips for FREE. Join now or go to http://www.30speakingtips.com

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The value of scanning in public speaking

The success of any speech or presentation depends on making a connection with the audience. Good speakers establish that connection from the very beginning and use many techniques to maintain it right through to the end. It is through that connection, made with our audiences, that we can achieve the outcomes we want.

Making eye contact and scanning the audience to achieve it is one of those techniques and a powerful one.

Firstly, make eye contact with each member of the audience. Be present. Though this conversation is a stylised one, it is a conversation, nevertheless. So make the audience feel you are talking to them, not just presenting your material.

The eye contact also builds your authenticity. One of the main signs of a person who is not authentic – not sincere – is lack of eye contact, and that would be a guarantee of losing any hard-won connection!

If you use notes, use them sparingly, or they will diminish your eye contact. If you must look at the projection screen, look briefly, or that, too, will diminish your eye contact. Any time that you look away from the audience make it a choice, make it deliberate, to support the point you are making.

Secondly, while you are scanning the audience to make eye contact, you can evaluate your connection with them. The connection you are making with your audience – is, mainly, nonverbal on their part. So you are not receiving a continuous flow of verbal feedback by which to monitor that connection.

You will have to rely on their nonverbal feedback to make sure the connection is still strong. As you scan, monitor how they are sitting, what they are doing, if they are talking or listening, whether their eyes are glazed or not. Then, if you see the connection waning, you can re-establish it.

One of the best ways is to make a change – a change relevant to what has gone before, relevant to your material and relevant to that audience. Change your presentation style, change their state, change your visuals.

© Bronwyn Ritchie If you want to include this article in your publication, please do, but please include the following information with it:
Bronwyn Ritchie is a professional librarian, writer, award-winning speaker and trainer. She is a certified corporate trainer and speech contest judge with POWERtalk, a certified World Class Speaking coach, and has had 30 years’ experience speaking to audiences and training in public speaking. In just 6 months time, you could be well on the way to being admired, rehired as a speaker, confident and sucessful, with the 30 speaking tips. Click here for 30 speaking tips for FREE. Join now or go to http://www.30speakingtips.com

audience in public speaking, public speaking, quotations about public speaking

Do you know where you are going?

“The audience only pays attention as long as you know where you are going.”

– Phil Crosby

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Confidence + energy + enthusiasm = passion = engagement

So what is this elusive thing called “passion” in public speaking?

It’s an overused word, “passion”, and yet it is an attractive concept – a person who is passionate.

Well …

a passionate person is enthusiastic.

There is a saying that “enthusiasm is contagious.” And it is so true.

If you are enthusiastic about your subject then your audience will be too.

Behave this way and you create the impression that the subject is worth talking about, worth learning and worth sharing.

And if it is worth talking about, worth learning and worth sharing, then your audience will be engaged, doing just that – learning and remembering and repeating what you shared.

A passionate person is confident in their enthusiasm.

If you speak with confidence, you give the impression of being authentic and sincere.

Confidence gives the impression that you know your content, and that you are confident to share it.

An audience is far more likely to engage with someone who knows what they are talking about and is confident that it will be useful and worth sharing.

A passionate person shares their passion with energy.

Speaking with energy shows your passion for the subject and for your opportunity to share that passion and the information.

Energy presents itself at different levels, though.

It does not mean presenting for the whole time with high energy.

You will need to go into the speech at the energy level of the audience or you will seem strange, seem to be outside their circle, their experience.

You can build the energy, or tone it down to suit.

Try to avoid speaking quickly and excitedly the whole time. It will get boring and will be wasted just as much as speaking in a monotone will.

Keep the power of that passion by using pauses, by using deliberately slow speech and by creating down time. They work just as powerfully as speaking quickly and with excitement.

Combine those three elements of enthusiasm, confidence and energy and you have passion, and passion creates engagement with our audiences.

© Bronwyn Ritchie If you want to include this article in your publication. please do. but please include the following information with it:
Bronwyn Ritchie is a professional librarian. writer. award-winning speaker and trainer. She is a certified corporate trainer and speech contest judge with POWERtalk . a certified World Class Speaking coach. and has had 30 years experience speaking to audiences and training in public speaking. In just 6 months time, do you want to be 3 times the speaker you are now? Click here for 30 speaking tips FREE. Join now or go to http://www.30speakingtips.com

audience in public speaking, public speaking

Public Speaking success comes from knowing your audience

Your audience knows whether you are speaking to them, of just presenting information. They will either feel the connection or tune out very quickly. With any conversation, whether it be informal or a formally presented speech or something in between, you keep that conversation going by choosing things to talk about that interest the other person, get them responding. So you need to know what interests your audience, what they will respond to.

This is what underlies the construction of most of your content.

It is the reason to talk about the benefits of a product instead of the features.

It is the reason to use language the audience understands. Look at your technical terms, and any jargon that they may not understand. Use examples, stories, quotes and other support material that has relevance to their lives and their interests. You will keep their attention and their interest.

And if your presentation has been advertised in media or in a conference program, the material in that advertising is what drew people to your session, so try to stick to it, or they will disengage very quickly.
So research you audience before you create your presentation if you can.

Find out as much as you can – their age range, gender, income levels, dreams, needs, wants, culture.

You can gain much from a registration form.

You can ask the event manager.

In your preparation routine, you can mingle with them before your speech.

Then you can use that information in constructing your speech. If you need to persuade, for example, you can use your knowledge of their interests and dreams.

You will choose language that they understand, and that is not irritating or offensive to them, and subject matter to suit that audience – themes, supports, anecdotes all will be tailored to them. Find out how best to dress, speak and what will meet their needs, or solve their problems and you have the first step to keeping their attention.

…………………………………………………

(c) Bronwyn Ritchie
If you want to include this article in your publication. please do. but please include the following information with it:

Bronwyn Ritchie is a professional librarian. writer. award-winning speaker and trainer. She is a certified corporate trainer and speech contest judge with POWERtalk, a certified World Class Speaking coach, and has had 30 years experience speaking to audiences and training in public speaking. In just 6 months time, you could be well on the way to being confident, admired, successful, rehired. Click here for 30 speaking tips FREE. Join now or go to http://www.30speakingtips.com

audience in public speaking, public speaking

Public Speaking Tip: Extremely Small Customization

[Via Tom Antion]

“When speaking to a very small group of people you should be able to include an extremely large amount of customization. You should have researched the group and done your normal homework including phone interviews with the expected attendees (if it is a public event and you don’t know who is coming, be set up way early so you can greet and interview people as they arrive.) Jot down a note of why each person attended. Then, when a section of your talk applies to them, point it out and name them by name.
Example: “John, you told me you wanted to learn how to sell more to the people that visit your website. This section specifically addresses that, especially the part about the psychology of the sale.”
Don’t assume that people will perk up when you come to the part that specifically applies to them. Make a big deal to point it out to them. You will be adding an extreme amount of value which makes them realize that it was a good thing they attended. Oh and don’t forget they’ll love you for it.”

audience in public speaking, public speaking

Audience feedback!

We learn what we have said from those who listen to our speaking.

Kenneth Patton

audience in public speaking, public speaking, quotations about public speaking

Is your audience listening?

Make sure you have finished speaking before your audience has finished listening.

Dorothy Sarnoff

audience in public speaking, introducing the speaker, personality, public speaking, speeches

Developing the Speaker Within You: The Make or Break 10 Seconds

Generally there isn’t a drum roll as we step up to the dais or platform.

OK. So you do get a drum roll whenever you get up? In that case I am not speaking to you, but to all the rest of us who usually don’t get one.

We then have to create our own aura, sense of interest, excitement.

It is widely understood that the first few moments, perhaps 10 seconds that a speaker spends on the stage are amongst the most critical of their entire address. In fact, even their ascendance to the stage, the very act of rising from the floor, or their seat on the platform is just as critical.

We only get one chance at a first impression. One chance at that vital impact that makes us memorable to an audience.

Audiences seem to have this perceptive on/off switch embedded in their minds that is activated immediately the speaker is introduced. Within seconds it swings one way or the other: I like this speaker, or I don’t!

And once triggered it takes much, much more energy to change the position of that switch (if it can be done at all) once the address is properly underway so the message is clear: get it right first up!

It is always advisable to demonstrate an impression of enthusiasm, liveliness immediately our cue is given.

Never, ever just lounge up to the stage, with our face fixed on the floor and meander casually to the dais. Even worse is to, once having shuffled to the dais, spend 10 seconds or so sorting notes, adjusting microphones, sipping water and generally doing all the things that should have been organized well before.

This just breeds a perception of a speaker that is disorganized, careless and in all probability, boring.

It is best to spring to our feet, move at a brisk pace to the platform or dais and then simply spread our prepared notes (if we are using notes) in one smooth motion while keeping eye contact on both our host and the audience.

Eye contact is just so important even at this early stage of an address so it is advisable to do everything possible to keep the audience attention on your eyes, not on the surroundings.

They are, even at this point, instinctively working out whether they will listen to us, or not.

For this reason it is usually best to transport our notes in a matt black folder that is basically invisible to the audience while we are moving: not a bundle of loose, flapping pages that give the appearance of a newspaper caught in a wind gust.

Once ensconced at the dais, depending on the event and the audience, great energy and expectation can be created by maintaining an interested, roving eye contact with the audience for a few seconds, coupled with appropriate body language, before uttering our first (very carefully chosen) opening line.

Whilst it may seem forever, a well executed pause at this critical moment of about 4-5 seconds will almost have our listeners lifting out of their seats in expectation. It is almost like inflating a balloon right up to bursting point: the audience are almost holding their breath waiting for the bang!

At this point, for a few critical seconds, the world is our oyster.

The selection of our opening words, the first 5-10, is key to creating the life and energy that will either turbo charge or stall our entire address.

I once was commissioned to introduce a keynote speaker, from WorkCover, a key Government agency responsible for employee safety at an industry conference.

My opening five words were “WorkCover is killing this industry”.

Everyone went quiet.

Our CEO’s face looked like the blood was draining from it. I could see him thinking “what is Neil doing, what have we done, how am I going to apologize to our speaker?”

But, the audience attention was palpable.

What the CEO (and the audience) didn’t know was that I had done my homework in advance. As any speaker should. I had spoken with the keynote before the session, talked over his content to make sure that I didn’t detract from his key address.

And, I had meticulously explained, and gained his consent to open with an inflammatory remark.

We got the attention of the audience. Our keynote was pleased. Our CEO recovered his composure and didn’t have a heart attack. The session went well.

Our first few moments on the stage will often determine our success. Plan them well, execute them well and our audience response will be positive.

Neil Findlay has been involved in the business and Not For Profit sectors for nearly 40 years in Australia and abroad. During this time he has been an active public speaker. Take a moment and review his website at http://www.neilfindlay.com or his e-business card at http://play.goldmail.com/k44iejhkvq62

audience in public speaking, public speaking

Your Question and Answer Session – Turn Negatives into Positives

Many people fear having a Q & A session in their presentations. They fear that they will lose control of the audience, that people will take advantage of them, that they will be exposed as less than the expert. And it is a fear based in reality, because without preparation and some ideas on how to handle this session, it can, quickly, become a disaster.

A Question and Answer session, however, if handled adroitly, can become a very powerful tool. It provides a wonderful opportunity to really connect with your audience through interaction. It provides a chance to be absolutely authentic and therefore so much more believable. And it provides an opportunity to build on the credibility and professionalism already established in your presentation.

This is the first of two posts about creating a successful Q&A, and in the first one, we look at turning negatives into positives.

Disaster recovery

Not knowing the answer to a question may seem like a disaster, but it is, in fact, a great opportunity. Admitting to not knowing the answer is a chance to build authenticity. There is nothing authentic or credible about someone trying to side-step a question with blustering.

Before you lose your credibility as an expert, though, have a plan for response to these questions.
If it’s possible, know the experts in the room. Throw the question to one of them, and you are providing a resource just as much as if you had given an answer.

You can also refer the question back to the audience in general. Again you are building engagement here by interacting with them.

Avoid saying “No comment.” You appear either to be completely ignorant and helpless on the subject, or worse still, trying to hide something. It is a matter of showing respect for the person asking the question and for the question itself, no matter how awful the question or the motives of the questioner.

If the question is worded so that it gives you no alternative but to put yourself in a negative light, find a way to give a positive statement if not to the question, then to the general situation.

If someone seems to want to dominate your presentation, or maybe has negative motives, you can answer once and then ask for questions from other parts of the room and not make eye contact with that person. You can ask the audience if they want the question answered and if they don’t, offer or organise to continue the discussion at the end of the presentation. If you suspect this will be a possibility before you begin your presentation, maybe you could organise to have someone to distract the negative people from undermining your presentation. Something that I have not tried but that I have heard done for a persistent heckler, is to walk among the audience and present from beside or behind the person and they are silenced.

Set boundaries

This is one way to make sure you feel you are in control of the session. Make it clear from the beginning of the presentation, how you are going to deal with questions. You may choose to take questions throughout the presentation or at particular times. You can announce this, so that you are interacting throughout and people know not to save their questions until the end. If someone asks something related to material further into the speech, you can promise to answer the question at the relevant time.

If at all possible do not end the presentation with Q & A. You want to be able to finish with something you have prepared – something you know will accomplish your objectives for the speech, something that will get your audience to take the next step. You cannot guarantee this outcome for yourself or your audience if you finish with a Q&A. Again, announce that the session will not be the end of the presentation or you may have people starting to pack up during your Q&A and lose the opportunity to leave them with a strong close.

Set boundaries, make them clear and stick to them. So you could allow a set time for the Q&A session. Announce it and finish within the time limit. You can always promise to answer more questions after the presentation. Or you might decide to have, say, five questions, and take no more. Again promise to answer any other questions after the presentation … and follow through on the promise.

Integrity and authenticity are a powerful platform on which to base how you deal with Q&A sessions – or any speaking opportunity for that matter! Combine them with thorough preparation and you no longer need to fear Questions and Answers.

audience in public speaking, public speaking

Dealing with interruptions … as an artist

[Note: the links to Perfect phrases for Executive Presentations has now been fixed!!]

I know we would all like to feel the mastery that this performer has achieved with his violin. I also know that we would all hope to be able to deal with interruptions just as masterfully – with grace and humour!!

Yes that’s a Nokia ring tone!

audience in public speaking, public speaking

Harness the Power of change to Keep your audience engaged.

audience in public speaking, language, public speaking, quotations, quotations about public speaking

Words …

I have always loved this quote … I like the thought of words taking on their own energy.

Sometimes I feel they do, and that is when they truly can engage an audience … or assault the unthinking.

Words ought to be a little wild for they are the assaults of thought on the unthinking.

John Maynard Keynes

audience in public speaking, public speaking

Is your audience switching off when you present data? Part One

Presenting data is a very difficult challenge. You are presenting as the expert. You have worked hard to collect the data and/or to synthesize it for presentation. It may be important that you be seen as the expert, but you are faced with the challenge of presenting this sometimes overwhelming mass of data so that an audience can understand and appreciate it. What is the best way to do that?

Usually the first step is to design the visuals. What can we present this data – graphs, pie charts, lists ….?

While that is certainly a valid part of the process, it should not be the first step.

As with any presentation, the first step has got to be acknowledging what you want from the presentation. You probably already know what that is. It may be that you want to persuade someone to take action – to donate to your cause, to fund your research, to hire you, or to change company policy. It may be that you want to persuade people to believe your theory about something. And underlying those outcomes may also be a desire to be seen as the expert, to be seen as relevant to the audience in some way, to be seen as credible. So if you need to, define it first, but certainly acknowledge it, and then use it in choosing how the presentation will proceed.

In choosing the direction of the presentation, the first aim is to engage your audience. Give them a reason to listen and not to switch off. Make it clear why this presentation will be relevant to them, why it will be worth their while to listen. And make it clear just what they can expect to get out of it if they listen. Just because you are presenting data, does not mean you should stop making “you” a prominent word in your speech. So start with the end objective. Present it up front. Explain why it is important for your audience to understand the data. Put the big picture first. Use stories, examples, anecdotes and analogies, not just the facts.

Your audience is used to dealing with the flood of information that each of us faces every day. They know that unless they have a reason to focus on, or to engage with, a particular piece of that information, they have to tune it out. So let them know your particular pieces of information are relevant to them. The use of stories, personal examples, analogies, even metaphors will personalise the data and engage your audience with it.

So keep that WIIFM (What’s In It For Me) aspect always present in the presentation, and you will engage your audience – the first step to having them think, act or feel the way you want them to.

audience in public speaking, books, public speaking, public speaking and business, sales presentations

Speak to win

Speak to Win: How to Present with Power in Any Situation

Brian Tracy
EAN:978-0814401576
Format: Hardcover
Publisher: Amacom
Published in: United States
Published: January 2008

There’s nothing worse than sitting in the audience while an inept speaker stumbles through an ill-conceived business presentation– unless, of course, you’re the one floundering in the spotlight. In 101 Ways to Captivate a Business Audience, Sue Gaulke, founder of the Speaker’s Training Camp, strips the mysteries from the process by showing how to prepare and present an effective address that will successfully involve your audience and deliver your message.

audience in public speaking, credibility in public speaking, public speaking

Public Speakers: How to Say, “I Don’t Know” From the Platform and Not Lose Credibility

Does being afraid that you cannot effectively field questions by the audience keep you from accepting opportunities for public speaking? You are not alone; believing you will look like a dummy and lose your credibility (or the sale) for not knowing an answer can be overwhelming.

Growing beyond this concern starts with a look at this possibility from your audience’s perspective. The audience has arrived because it has all ready been determined that you are credible and know what you are taking about. Agree with the person who gave you the nod to speak to this group.

Agreement is powerful and a two-edged sword. Two or more people who believe presenter may get themselves in trouble must be avoided at all costs so tell those close to you who are concerned to hush. Remember the audience is not thinking in this vein. These opposing actions can create a perfect storm. Did you see the movie? This is not a good thing.

Managing the, “I don’t know” scenario is the same on and off the platform. You have a few ways to handle this.

1. Get Real and Plan: While planning the presentation play devil’s advocate by intentionally trying to stump yourself. Looking at the presentation in an attempt to pick it apart is a best practice and is a terrific way to ward off a potentially uncomfortable scenario. If while asking tough questions about your material you may discover a key point that needs to be added to the body of the presentation. If so, add it.

If what you discover is important and should be the pivotal point of the presentation, then rewrite the introduction and work it into the body and the conclusion. Your opening statements should be statement with a promise of sorts to prove your statement and therefore must be within the body and the conclusion of the presentation.

By the way, the trick of speaking well into the Q&A session to avoid questions is not unprofessional nor does it work.

2. Be Real and Fess Up: It is going to happen you know – getting stumped. If you are not Elvis and have, “left the building” someone, at some point, will approach and leave you speechless. Whether this happens from the platform or one-on-one after the presentation – your answer can be the same, “Good Question. And, (pause) I do not know. I will, however, quickly research that answer after we are finished here or if you would prefer, leave your contact information (eMail) with ____________ (name your host) I will get back with you before day’s end.” If you are stumped during the presentation you may also add, “Is anyone in the audience know the answer or this question?” As always be sure all members of the audience can hear the question and the answer to every question.

Warning: Not following up with an answer will cost your credibility, the sale, or both.

3. Be Professional and Network: As an ongoing practice, surround yourself with people who know more than you so you may call upon to help you with the answer (and more). Dr. Ted Becker, one of two people in history who have a PhD in human performance said, “It is important to be the dummy of the group. The only way there is up.” Surprisingly, knowledgeable people often cannot find a person in to mentor. Recently, Karen Timmons with Dell, Inc. said, “It is not a crime to not know the answer. It is, however, a crime to not know who does.”

Consider this incident:

Lat week I was in the exam room with my doctor when he took his cell phone from his pocket and searched for the answer to my question. This was blatant evidence that my doctor doesn’t know all things medical. This came as no surprise to me as even the best cannot answer all things. Nor is it reasonable to think so. (Your audience knows this.) In my mind my doctor’s credibility actually increased as it appeared that my question and I were important to him.

Get Real. Be Real. Be a Professional.

Be Not Afraid.

………………………………………………………………………

Kathryn is owner of Write Speak Transcribe Business Services
Kathryn has been a freelance writer for fifteen years and a Food Service Management Specialist for eighteen years.
She is a dynamic speaker who provides her client’s end users with a presentation that yields responses like, “Thanks for telling me that!” and “Where do I sign?” She specializes in providing her client’s an opportunity to contribute to their customer’s knowledge base in a particular area — a customer enlightenment that oft times is not sales related yet produces an increase in the bottom line of those who utilize her.
Timely and accurate transcription services are managed by Kathryn’s mother, Onita Walker. Onita types 120 words a minute with accurate spelling and punctuation and has 40 years experience transcribing confidential conversations in the field of law.
Words are powerful and words are our passion.
Kathryn
Cell (928) 713-1812
Web: http://www.writespeaktranscribe.com
Email: kathryncrew@cableone.net
Email: Onita@cableone.net

audience in public speaking, quotations

Effective communication – engaging

The goal of effective communication should be for listeners to say, “Me, too!” versus “So what?”

Jim Rohn

audience in public speaking, public speaking

How to stop a boorish Q&A Hog in 3 easy steps

I recently attended a terrific, high-powered panel presentation that unfortunately became hijacked by what I’ll call “a Q&A hog.” You’ve probably witnessed a Q&A hog in action at a conference or presentation.

Q&A Hog, defined: an annoying creature that rambles incoherently during the Question and Answer period of a presentation. The hog typically takes up to 5 minutes to ask the presenter a very specific or off-topic question that no one in the audience has any interest in discussing. Q&A hogs usually have some personal agenda or simply love to hear the sound of their own voices.

The panel presentation I witnessed? The Q&A hog actually grabbed the floor mike and took over. It was a bad scene, man.

The hog held the entire audience hostage with non-stop rambling. The panelists and audience members started shuffling and checking their smart phones. The moderator looked wild-eyed around the room, vainly searching for armed gunmen with tranquilizers to shoot the beast down.

Boors don’t pick up on obvious visual cues of disinterest. It’s not in their nature. They’re going to keep talking — until you shut them down. Mere body language and facial gestures won’t do the trick.

=> http://bit.ly/ineCWx

audience in public speaking, public speaking

Handling the Audience in Public Speaking

Audiences Are Your Friend

For the rank amateur to the ignorant professional, audiences create the same effect no matter how small they are to a speaker. Fear and anxiety.

From a single person to a crowd as big as the fans in the Super Bowl, speaking in front of a serious listening audience is the true test and baptism of fire.

Despite this, audiences are predictable. Audiences listen to you because they want to learn something from the speaker.

Following this logic, the speaker would do well to follow the strategy of making it informative as well as interesting to listeners to see your speech through till the end.

Here are some tips on how you can have the audience listen in rapt attention. http://bit.ly/bMXs4u

audience in public speaking, public speaking

Public Speaking: The First Question You Need to Answer

The first question a presenter must answer involves the listening audience. The composition of a group influences what and how one prepares. Determining the makeup of an audience involves certain considerations that can be broken down into two categories: Demographics and Psychographics. “Demographics” help us define “age cells,” while “Psychographics” inform us about “type cells.”

Demographics. Initially, it is helpful to determine the demographic composite of the audience. We start by determining the average age of the crowd. Are there children? If so, what age? If they are teenagers, are they young teens (13-16) or older teens (17-19)? If we find they are young adults, are they 18-24, 25-34, etc.? Now let me explain why this demographic analysis is so important.

The age of an audience influences the type of language, examples, and illustrations presenters use. For example, if I were talking to a group of young adults 18-24 years old about recent changes in the music industry, it would be more effective to drop names such as “The All-American Rejects” and “Green Day” than “Chicago” and “The Beach Boys.” Talking about the former would help me sound relevant and credible, while using the latter would date me and make me sound out of touch.

The key is to know the demographic makeup of your listening audience. Some audiences are demographically narrow in scope, but most are not. Generally, you will find that audiences are comprised of mixed age groups, and knowing this will help you tailor your examples and illustrations to impact the larger segments within the group.

Psychographics. Determining the psychographic profile of the audience is imperative as well. As previously stated, psychographics refers to “type cells,” and all audiences are comprised of them. These cells inform us of the audience’s inclinations and preferences, which is helpful information when addressing a group. Below is a short list of potential “types” you might find in a particular audience:

Males or females

Blue-collar workers or professionals

Senior-level or junior-level managers

Managers or employees

Post-grad students or undergrad students

Wine drinkers or beer drinkers

Conservatives or Liberals

Religious or non-religious individuals

Doctors or lawyers

Teachers or students

Early adapters or late adopters

Animal lovers or hunters

Suffice it to say that the age and type of people in any given audience will greatly impact the way you prepare to speak to them. But while the audience’s profile will influence your method, it must never compromise or cause you to water-down your message. Instead, the core message simply needs to be packaged in terms relative to the audience at hand. Consequently, it is highly beneficial to know everything you can about the demographic and psychographic nature of the audience you will be addressing.

……………………………………….

Dr. Gary Rodriguez is President of LeaderMetrix http://www.leadermetrix.com and author of Purpose Centered Public Speaking http://www.amazon.com/Purpose-Centered-Public-Speaking-Purposeful-Presentations/dp/1450727085/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1288971818&sr=8-1

Gary is committed to helping aspiring and active speakers improve their presentations skills. This is accomplished through Purpose Centered Public Speaking Workshop and personal one on one mentoring. He also offers a free public speaking phobia test and monthly newsletter to those who visit his website.

audience in public speaking, public speaking

How To Respond To Inevitable Distractions in Public Speaking

Adam Hochschild once said, “Work is hard. Distractions are plentiful. And time is short.”

This is the truth in public speaking.

One of the craziest situations I was in happened during a keynote talk I was giving in Chicago. There were five meeting rooms that had been partitioned out that held about 300 each. Each room had a wireless microphone system. About a minute into my presentation, the microphone from two rooms down somehow overlapped onto the frequency of mine, and we all started hearing the other speaker. He sounded as if he were right there with us.

Talk about a distraction that’s impossible to ignore! I didn’t even try. Rather than fight it or try to shout over it, I began having a “conversation” with the other speaker. He would ask his crowd in the other room, “Can everyone hear me okay?” and I would answer to mine, “Oh yes, we can hear you just fine.” I did my best to turn it into something amusing and entertaining, and got a few laughs for it. This went on for several minutes until the technical support guy hurried in and fixed things.

This is just one example of totally unexpected things that can happen in a presentation. A kneejerk reaction to something like this is to get upset or just walk off the stage in helplessness. But having had much mileage on stage, I knew to roll with it in a positive way. Had my reaction been negative, that would have stuck in the minds of the audience more than anything else. It would have made them feel uncomfortable for me, and the last thing you want as a presenter is an uncomfortable crowd trying to watch you.

Know that both big and small distractions will always exist under all circumstances. For your own sake, try not to be in constant pursuit of perfect conditions. And don’t make the even bigger mistake of trying to force the perfect set of circumstances. If you do, you’ll experience more disappointment and frustration than satisfaction. Yes, in time, you’ll run into those ideal situations where everything appears to go perfect, but they’re few and far between. It’s better to simply be prepared for what can and usually does happen, and to look at it as opportunities for growth and experience. This isn’t negative thinking, which is when anticipating what could happen creates unhealthy levels of fear or tension. This becomes detrimental to your performance. It’s also negative thinking to view potential mishaps as a burden, or some sort of affliction that comes with the territory. If you have to just “grin and bear it,” then you’re looking at it wrong.

Some people anticipate a negative reaction from themselves. A person will think, if this happens, I just know I’ll get so annoyed I won’t be able to continue. Or, if so and so interrupts me again, I’ll get angry and snap at her. If you think and do the action in advance mentally, you’re going down the road of self-fulfilled prophesy. If and when the time comes, you’ll respond just as you imagined. As far as your brain is concerned, you’ve already done it anyway, so it’s easier the “second” time (or third, or fourth, etc.). And in the end, if nothing happens, all you’ve accomplished is wasting mental bandwidth.

The more you learn to deal with distractions correctly, the more professional you’ll be as a communicator. Unfortunately, though, we often react inappropriately. We stop and get flustered when a noise or disruption happens, especially deliberately caused disruptions. But if we blow these things out of proportion, the incident will overshadow the rest of the presentation. That’s what people will remember long after the performance. People can forgive almost any blunder, whether caused by you or not, if you simply do your best and maintain a positive attitude.

Even if you don’t have a lot of experience, there are techniques you can employ that will make it seem as though you’ve been doing it for a long time.

Remain positive and professional.
If things go wrong, don’t go with them.
Prepare a good outline with keywords; they will help you keep focus.
Make sure you’ve done a little rehearsal, but not to where you’ve memorized. Distractions can mean the death of a memorized presentation because your brain, which was depending on things going in a certain order, will lock up.
Finally, remember the purpose of your message, the big picture. That’s what matters, so focus on that. By keeping your mind on what’s important, you can avoid “forgetting” what to do.
Kelly Libatique is a professional speaker, technical trainer, and author. He has a Master’s in Education and a Bachelor’s in Psychology. He resides in the San Francisco Bay Area with his wife and Anne and two sons.

Visit http://www.Libatique.com or contact Kelly at: KellyLibatique@gmail.com

audience in public speaking, public speaking

Engage your Audience when you speak

How do you make your presentation more interesting to your audience? Perhaps the most important technique is to include them when you speak. You can choose your words to engage your listeners — or leave them out. If you leave them out, boredom is the probable result. In this article, I’ll give you some specific techniques for crafting your content in a way that grabs the attention of your audience.

=> http://bit.ly/faXAd4

audience in public speaking, public speaking

Seven steps to more compelling presentations

Ensure your that audience is engaged and understands the ideas you are putting forward

By Fiona Collie

An engaging seminar presentation can be a powerful tool for building relationships with clients and prospects.

A successful presentation needs more than just great information, says Lisa Braithwaite, a public-speaking coach in Santa Barbara, Calif. “People want to relate to you,” she says. “They want to be able to trust you and they want to be able to have a relationship with you.”

To gain that trust and build relationships, follow these public-speaking tips:

audience in public speaking, books, public speaking

Your weekend read – Use visual stories to connect with your audience – Resonate

Resonate: Present Visual Stories that Transform Audiences

by Nancy Duarte

Reveals the underlying story form of all great presentations that will not only create impact, but will move people to action

Presentations are meant to inform, inspire, and persuade audiences. So why then do so many audiences leave feeling like they’ve wasted their time? All too often, presentations don’t resonate with the audience and move them to transformative action.

Just as the author’s first book helped presenters become visual communicators, Resonate helps you make a strong connection with your audience and lead them to purposeful action. The author’s approach is simple: building a presentation today is a bit like writing a documentary. Using this approach, you’ll convey your content with passion, persuasion, and impact.

Author has a proven track record, including having created the slides in Al Gore’s Oscar-winning An Inconvenient Truth
Focuses on content development methodologies that are not only fundamental but will move people to action
Upends the usual paradigm by making the audience the hero and the presenter the mentor
Shows how to use story techniques of conflict and resolution

Presentations don’t have to be boring ordeals. You can make them fun, exciting, and full of meaning. Leave your audiences energized and ready to take action with Resonate.

REMEMBERED AND REPEATED