If you are having difficulties connecting with your audiences, then I am guessing that you are not presenting in a way that makes the audience the hero of your story. Style is important, the ability to present professionally is important, but if you want the audience to be engaged while listening to your presentation, then you need to make them the heroes.
All too often, many professional speakers and Toastmasters will focus on the mechanics of their presentations and forget one key part of their speech…the audience. This has point has been proven to me by meeting planners, by my coaches, and mentors. Everyday I am reminded of the importance of this secret, but I still find it hard to do, and I am guessing that many of you have the same problem.
Why is it that it is so difficult to make your audience the hero?
Often, as speakers we spend tens of hours working on our presentations. This work includes research, writing, and practice. Through the writing process, we are constantly trying to follow some format, make some profound point, and then sell ourselves through our speech. When we work so hard to make our speeches that good, we leave out the most important part: spirit.
What I have learned in my four years in the speaking business is that no matter how good you are on the stage, you will never connect with your audience unless your speech has a spirit. A spirited speech engages the audience, because it makes them feel that they are enabled to face a new challenge, that they made a correct decision, or it reaffirms the action that has taken them to where they are today.
The problem is that many speakers use the platform to demonstrate how much smarter they are then the audience, how much cooler they are, or how accomplished they are as a speaker. Doing that is wrong and it kills your spirit as a speaker.
You are on the platform to affirm the beliefs of the audience and propel them to take action on some point that you are making. Having a speech with spirit embraces the audience with your heart, validates, and makes them…not you…the hero.
As you write your next speech, ask yourself, is this for me or is this for the audience? If it is for the audience, how can you present with such a spirit that makes your audience the hero? Presenting with spirit validates, inspires, and shows that you care more about the audience than you do yourself. So get out there and practice making your audiences the hero. You will be surprised at how often you get invited back to speak again when you are able to speak with spirit.
About the Author: My Toastmasters Blog is written and edited by Chris Elliott, the founder of the young professional coaching site Young Profit Pros. Chris enjoys using his knowledge and experiences during his speaking engagements, workshops, consulting projects, and one-on-one coaching sessions. The result—connecting people and empowering change. If you would like information on how you can bring Chris to speak to your next meeting, please download Chris' one sheet or contact him by clicking here.
i couldn’t agree more!
I earn my humble living training people to make presentations and do public speaking and so I’m often the one DOING the “use this technique” and “try that technique” stuff… but then at the end of the training course I put up a slide of a jazz saxophonist with the old, standard quote of “Master your instrument, master your music then forget all that shit and just play!”
It seems to get the point over nicely….
Simon