Knowing How To Engage An Audience Is Crucial To Ensure That Your Message Hits Home
If your business involves public speaking, then you must know how to engage an audience, so your message has impact.
It is highly likely that you have landed on this webpage because your business involves public speaking. Public speaking can be delivered in many different formats which I will touch upon shortly. Whatever medium you use you must know how to engage an audience, so they benefit from the experience.
I think the word “experience” is key for the people who attend public speaking events as they have a sense of expectation. It is your task as a public speaker to fulfil those expectations through the content that you deliver. You want your audience to have the best feeling possible because they have given up their time to listen to you. After all, time is one of the most precious commodities that we all have, so you must not waste it.
How To Engage An Audience – Create The Snowball Effect
I am confident that at one time in your life you have created a snowball. When you are a child and see snow, it brings a sense of excitement. You can’t wait to get out there and play with this magical stuff falling from the sky.
Curiosity kicks in as to what you can do with it and then your imagination starts to run wild. You pick it up and compress it into a ball. After a short time, you realise that if you start to roll it in the snow it starts to get bigger. So, you continue to roll it to see how big it can become. Hence the “snowball effect” phrase.
This analogy can be applied to the presentation you create for your audience. Starting off slowly you will build a sense of interest so that people can visualise and build up a picture based upon what you say. Gradually your content hooks them in so they feel on the edge of their seat. Their anticipation gets bigger, just like the snowball, and the climax is when your message has the maximum impact.
So How Can You Create The Snowball Effect?
First you must deliver a great introduction as it sets out what you are going to talk about. Here you can show off your personality so that your audience can get to know you. It is kind of like breaking the ice when you have a first meeting with someone, but on a larger scale.
You can highlight what makes you an authority in your field, so they become confident that they are in the right place. Also let them know more about your personal story including your family life. This creates a connection because they know you are a real person just like them.
Tell them of obstacles that you have had and how you overcame them because in all probability they are experiencing the same things. You want them to relate to you as a person and not just a business. Problems are there to be solved and you are the problem solver or there to help them reach their goals. All of this will ensure that they stick around to the final curtain.
How To Engage An Audience – Preparation And Structure Is Key
To ensure that your audience stays engaged you must prepare everything so there is structure in your delivery. If you are not prepared, then your audience will spot it within the first few minutes. At this point you are at risk of losing their engagement and it will be hard for you to regain it.
If you are using such things as power point slides, then make sure they are in order. More importantly make sure that all the technology is in working order and you know how to use it. Pausing and stumbling around amounts to wasting your attendees time which they can’t afford to lose.
It is important to rehearse your presentation, so it becomes familiar and second nature. Saying that, it is important not to over rehearse it because you don’t want to come across as a robot. Your presentation skills are very important, but the most important thing is your content.
Make Sure Your Content Has Purpose And Is Interesting
Think back to your school days and I am sure you found some lessons more interesting than others. This could be the subject or the content that was taught. In many cases a classroom environment can be quite sterile, quiet and unengaging.
This is what you must avoid within your presentation, but how can you achieve this? Your content must be interesting to start with or you will be “flogging a dead horse” as the saying goes.
It must also be engaging which can be achieved through interacting with your audience. Ask them for a response to your questions like a simple “hands up if” to create a reaction.
The best element to incorporate into your content is “your story” as this sets you apart from any other person. They may have attended a similar event, but this is what differentiates you from your competitors. Your story is a powerful tool to create a connection with your audience as some elements will be similar to their own experiences.
Mind Your Language
What I am referring to is the tone of your language throughout your presentation, not the use of offensive words. Obviously, that is a no-go area in most situations.
What you must avoid is speaking in the same tone throughout your presentation as it will send people to sleep. You need to come alive on stage by using different tones to appear energetic and lively. On the same note you don’t want to appear as running around like a headless chicken. This is because your audience will become confused and you will soon become tired.
Another aspect to language is your body language. Facial and hand expressions are key to keeping people engaged so don’t become a mannequin.
Timing Is Of The Essence
They say that “timing is key” to anything that you do, and it is essential for your presentation. If you are of the age that you can remember vinyl records, you will remember that there were two main playing speeds.
A single record played at 45 rpm and an album played at 33 rpm. If you played an album at 45 rpm it sounded like the singer was on helium. If you played a single at 33 rpm it sounded long and drawn out.
Your presentation must be delivered at the optimum speed. I say this because if you run at 45 rpm you will be finished halfway through advertised time. Then people will think they have been short changed.
If you run on 33 rpm you will go over the allocated time and it could become an issue for your attendees. They may have trains or buses to catch or be on a time parking meter.
This is where your planning and practicing is very important, so you don’t appear rushed or being too slow. I suggest breaking your presentation up into sections with regular breaks. This helps you and your attendees stay fresh, focused and importantly hydrated.
Find your optimum presentation speed and keep to it.
Be Your Own Worst Critic
The only way to get a true view on your presentation is to watch it back. If you are doing a live event, then have it professionally recorded so you can see it from the attendee’s perspective.
If you are doing a webinar presentation, then either do a dummy run and record your screen. Or if you prefer you can record it live. Then watch it back to see if you are delivering value and a good experience for the viewer.
Asses how you can improve things and then put those into practice the next time you are on stage.
This is a formula that you can use to create the most engaging and rewarding presentations for your audience.
How to engage an audience is something that I concentrate on with my own mastermind program called Build Your AU. I am confident that this program will help you create that important engagement with your audience. You can learn more about Build Your AU here.
A life of freedom and choice
Trish Davies International
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