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Every time that we give a speech, we’d like to be able to find a way to connect with our audience. What’s interesting about this goal is that it can be very difficult to accomplish. As speakers, we need to be able to understand our audience and what they are looking for in our speech. If we can master this knowledge, then we can find a way to connect with them. The good news is that it turns out that it can actually be easy to connect with an audience. What we need to do is to make sure that we show them some enthusiasm.
How To Capture An Audience
The ability to communicate delight and confidence in a speaker’s chosen topic is a hidden key to successful speaking. Of course, a speaker must always pay attention to the organization that you are addressing, your vocal range, any extraneous filler words and a number of other items, but if a speaker doesn’t project some pizzazz and show devotion to their topic, the speech may still fall flat on its well-prepared face. As speakers, what we need are strategies that will help us to project enthusiasm during our next speech.
It’s All About Your Body
When you are giving a speech, you are going to want to let your body reflect your words. For example, if you say the word “tilt,” then you will want to sway to one side. Make sure that you smile, not only at your audience but also during the humorous parts of your presentation. What is your audience going to be watching as you give your speech? Not your hands, not the lectern. Instead, they will be fixed on your face. This means that you need to take the time to arch an eyebrow, shrug your shoulders, and nod your head when it is appropriate.
Make Your Words Count
When you are giving a speech you are going to want to use descriptive words. The reason that you are going to want to do this is because your audience really wants to share an experience with you. All too often we speakers forget that we are both performers as well as informers. What this means for you is that you are going to want to carry your audience into your speech by employing both action verbs and colorful nouns. Remember that during your speech, you are going to want to find ways to get your audience to use all five of their senses, just like actors do in theatrical productions.
Always Know What You Are Talking About
I must confess that there have been times in my past that I’ve been roped into giving a speech on a topic that I really did not know all that much about. Don’t let something like this happen to you. Always be well-grounded in your topic. This is where confidence and enthusiasm intersect, and there’s nothing worse than coming up blank during a speech on something you should know. Your audiences are sharp, and they can sense when speakers are knowledgeable about and involved in their topics – or not!
Bring Props!
If at all possible, when you are giving a speech you should use props. When you use pictures during your speech, your voice will convey how much you care about what you are talking about. When a listener asks a particularly relevant question, you can do something like ring a bell. When you do this, declare “The winner!” Tell them that “You’ve won the prize!” What have your actions done? You’ve been able to dramatically engage the participant and you have grabbed the attention of the entire room.
What All Of This Means For You
The reason that we give a speech is because we have something that we want to share with our audience. In order to be able to do this successfully, we need to be able to both grab and hold on to their attention. At times, this can be a challenge for us to do. What we need to realize is that the enthusiasm that we bring to our next speech is what is going to capture their attention. Now all we have to do is figure out how best to display our enthusiasm to our audience.
The first thing that we need to realize is that our body is going to play a big role. We want to use our body to convey what we are telling our audience. Every speech that we give is made up of words. You need to make your words count by choosing the right ones to convey your story. Make sure that you are an expert on what you are talking about. Your audience will be able to tell if you are faking it. Finally, always try to bring props to your speech. This will give you a chance to involve your audience in your speech.
The best speeches crackle with energy. You can feel the speaker giving off their energy and it comes across in the enthusiasm that they bring to the speech. When we give a speech, we want our audience to be able to pick up on the same level of excitement that we have for what we are talking about. Make sure that your enthusiasm comes across the next time that you give a speech!
– Dr. Jim Anderson
Blue Elephant Consulting –
Your Source For Real World Public Speaking Skills™
Question For You: How many props do you think that you should use during a 30 minute speech?
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Note: What we talked about are advanced speaking skills. If you are just starting out I highly recommend joining Toastmasters in order to get the benefits of public speaking. Look for a Toastmasters club to join in your home town by visiting the web site www.Toastmasters.org. Toastmasters is dedicated to helping their members to understand the importance of public speaking by developing listening skills and getting presentation tips. Toastmasters is how I got started speaking and it can help you also!
What We’ll Be Talking About Next Time
When we give a speech, we may feel like all we have to work with are our words. That can make us feel pretty lonely and exposed out there on the stage. We are desperate for something else that we can use in order to cause our audience to remain interested in what we are telling them. It turns out that we have a secret tool that we can use that will allow us to not only capture our audience’s attention, but also hold on to it. What is this magic tool? Gestures.