It's probably your worst nightmare. You give a speech and you start to stumble. You mix up a few of your words, lose your train of thought, and can't get yourself back on track.
SummaryWhy you need to connect with your audience membersTalk about what your audience wants you to talk aboutRefer to audience members by nameHave a sense of humorBe a revolutionary:Do the opposite of everyone elseWrap your points in relevant storiesOpen Your HeartBe Like Oprah:Give Gifts to Your AudienceSweat forms on your forehead and you begin to hyperventilate. You wonder:is it hot in here, or is it just me? Is there a rock nearby that I can climb under?
If something like this happened to you, I bet it was painful.
Giving a speech is not an easy task. Not only do you need to have something worthwhile to say, but you also need to say it in a way that connects with your audience.
If you've ever given a speech where you failed to connect with your audience members, I have good news. You don't have to be the most captivating speaker in the world to deliver a dynamic and entertaining speech.
In a previous DLM article, 7 Little-Known Ways to Overcome Your Fear of Public Speaking, I discussed how to calm your own nerves and be comfortable giving a speech in front of an audience. P>
In this article, I'll discuss the next step to delivering a great speech – how to connect with your audience members.
At its core, a speech is just a conversation. Like any conversation, your job is to communicate certain information to the people listening to you, whether it's one person or a thousand.
But the problem is that we are all under such an onslaught of information today that it is very difficult to break through the noise.
Your job as a speaker is to connect with your audience so that they are more open and receptive to accepting and retaining your message.
Let me put a finer point on that:
If you don't grab your audience's attention, you'll lose their interest for a heartbeat and your speech will just be a huge waste of time.
With that in mind, here are 7 awesome ways to connect with your audience during a speech:
It might sound a bit basic, but how do you know you're even talking about the things your audience wants you to talk about?
Most people who give a speech choose the topic and write the speech independently and without any input from the potential audience. Rather than doing this, reverse this process. Find out what your audience wants to hear, then talk about it.
Do some background research on the audience by contacting the people who will be in the audience and interviewing them about some of the questions they want answered. It is better to find out these things in advance rather than after.
Have you ever noticed how politicians tend to start speeches by mentioning some of the dignitaries in the audience by name? There's a reason they do this.
People like to receive recognition, especially if it's recognition in front of their peers or colleagues.
So the next time you speak, don't be afraid to drop the name, that is, drop the names of people who are in the audience as you speak.
Better yet, use stories or examples involving people you know will be part of your audience to illustrate your points. At a minimum, you know at least one person will be paying attention.
Have you ever wondered why so many speeches start with the speaker making a joke? When a speaker starts with a joke, it sends a signal to the audience that they can relax.
Unfortunately, audiences have been conditioned by poor speakers to expect boredom. It is too easy for the minds of audience members to wander.
Sprinkling jokes throughout a speech guarantees that your audience will pay a little more attention. At least they will listen carefully to the next prank to come. So including a little humor in your speech is actually a great way to get your points across.
I still remember one of the most powerful speeches I have ever heard in person like it was yesterday.
It was 2003. I was at the California State Democratic Party's annual convention, where a parade of potential presidential candidates addressed the crowd. Then-Senators John Kerry and Hillary Clinton and a host of others delivered slightly different versions of the same speech, giving party stalwarts audiences what they wanted to hear on various policy issues.
Then a little-known governor, Howard Dean, took to the podium.
Dean immediately ripped through the other speakers, using a refrain of "What I want to know...that's why" the other speakers weren't talking about issues like health care and the war in Iraq.
The audience erupted, devouring the red meat and Dean's willingness to take a stand.
So what's the lesson for you?
If everyone is giving PowerPoint presentations, don't. If everyone enters from the left of the stage, enter from the back of the room. If everyone is polite, be prepared to ruffle some feathers.
Doing the unexpected will make your audience more likely to sit up and pay attention.
The best speakers understand the power of stories. Almost all audiences would much rather hear stories than receive information in any other way.
But it is not enough to tell funny or amusing stories. You need to tell stories that illustrate your points.
A classic example of this is the brilliant Stanford commencement address Steve Jobs gave in 2005. “Today I want to tell you three stories from my life,” Jobs said at the start of the speech. " That's all. Not much. Just three stories.
Jobs then used the three stories as the basis for his larger message, including points about "connecting the dots" in your life and how major life setbacks can be a blessing in disguise.
Jobs was smart enough to know that you're more likely to connect with your audience if you use stories as a framework for larger posts.
If you really want to connect with your audience, get personal.
Tell a revealing story. Share a side of you that few people see. Let it all come out, warts and all.
People will respect your honesty and candor, especially if you show that you're not perfect.
Of course, it won't be easy to be truly open and vulnerable, but few things in life are easy. And the payoff will be worth it.
Finally, if you really want to show your audience members your appreciation, give them a gift.
I'm not saying give everyone in the audience a car, like Oprah.
But what you can do is really overdeliver by giving your audience a resource, guide, or piece of information that they'll really appreciate.
It can be a document that summarizes your most valuable tips and tricks or a handy chart or infographic or even a book.
Do it so well that you can imagine people putting it front and center on their desks or sleeping with it under their pillow. Yes, it should be so good.
Do this and your audience will never forget you or your message.
What tips do you have for connecting with audience members during a speech? Put them in the comments below.
Written by John Corcoran, is an attorney, former Clinton White House writer, and creator of SmartBusinessRevolution.com, where he helps business owners increase revenue using connections. You can download his free guide, How to Increase Your Income in 14 Days by Building VIP Relationships, even if you hate networking.Photo credit :thinkmedialabs
