Your Audience Loves You
Every audience is unique and deserves a unique approach. So in as short a space of time as possible, learn as much as possible about who'll be listening to you. Their ages, gender breakdown, educational background and so on. Again, if you’re addressing a small group of post grad students you'll include different levels of detail about your topic than if you’ve been asked to speak to a Junior High School students.
Then, forget the audience.
By that I mean, please don’t try to double guess them. In just about every public speaking seminar I’ve conducted, or public speaking coaching session I’ve done, I have found one very common mistake being made.
People make assumptions about their audiences based on how the audience seems to be responding. In turn, those perceptions are based on things like the facial expressions of the listeners. They’re also based on the speaker's sense of how the audience should look, and how they should be responding.
Let me reassure you. You’ve done the research about the audience, you’ve spent an adequate amount of time preparing your presentation, you have your notes and you’ve done at least one quick rehearsal of your presentation.
That’s it. You'll be marvellous. While you’re delivering your talk please don’t start to worry about the fact that your audience is not laughing, or they seem to be frowning. Doing that is only using energy you should be using on your presentation. Based on years of experience let me tell you: chances are the facial expressions of people in your audience have absolutely nothing to do with you.
It’s just an undermining distraction for you to start focussing on audience reactions.
That's why in my I place such an emphasis on exercises which help you to perceive your audiences as allies or friends rather than a hostile mob waiting for you to forget your next line.
In some instances, you may be the person delivering bad news or you may be the not-so-preferred politician who’s speaking to a group of people who don’t normally vote for your Party. Fine. That’s difficult. I admit it. I deal with that in the next lesson. For most occasions, your audience is made up of individuals just like you. They’re wishing you the very best. They're hoping you'll be great. After all, they've given up a great day at the beach just to hear you. And it will be worth it.
To your continued happiness and success,
Jeannette Kavanagh works as a counsellor helping people to overcome anxiety in all its manifestations. Over the past couple of decades Dr Kavanagh has helped thousands of people to find peace from the upsetting effects of anxiety, phobias and panic attacks. All the strategies that she's found successful are compiled in a very affordable self-help kit Calming Words (http://www.calmingwords.com). On that site, you can sign up for Jeannette's free e-zine Oasis of Calm. (http://www.calmingwords.com/ezine_login.html) Your Article Search Directory : Find in Articles
Recent articles in this category:
- How To Use A Story To Engage Your Audience
Preparing your speech and writing appropriate stories can be a challenge at the best of times, but t - Public Speaking Articles - Channel Surfing Across the Internet
For more information please check Live Internet TV Website: http://top-liveinternet-tv.com/ The - Public Speaking Articles - How Should We Respond to the Cheonan Incident?
The million dollar question is how should we respond to the sinking of the Cheonan? The sinking was - Keep It Simple In Public Speaking
How often had you heard the premise in public speaking that you should tell your audience what you w - Groom Wedding Speech - Write A Speech That Will Stun Everyone.
During the planning of the wedding, one of the most important aspect to take into account is the wed - Motivational Speakers Profiled - John Thakara
John Thackara is a design expert, bestselling author and businessman best known for bringing design - Powerpoint In Training - When A Good Thing Is Not A Good Thing
I thought I'd write a few words about a topic that often comes up in discussions about training, and - How To Get Benefit From Motivational Speakers?
Motivation is something that every one needs to do well. When a machine falls out in repair, you wil - How To Deal With Public Speaking Pressure
Most of us are afraid about public speaking. It is a scenario which puts a substantial amount of anx - Dealing With Public Speaking Anxiety
Most people are terrified about presenting and public speaking. It is just a situation that places a
Most viewed articles in this category:
- Public Speaking : Connection
If you don't recognize the importance of connecting, then your message, no matter how important, wil - Top 10 Do Nots When Working With Meeting Planners
1. Don't Be Demanding - Remember planners are only going to book speakers who they like, this is pre - Better Typography and More Readable Text in PowerPoint
PowerPoint is, fundamentally, a tool for communication, and the heart of that communication is writt - Learn How To Dress Up Your Presentation The Easy Way
Honoring individuals for their achievements may say a great deal about the person but can also demon - How To Eliminate Speaking Jitters: Eight Sure-Fire Strategies To Help You Be More Natural
Do you avoid giving speeches because the stress drives you up the wall? Do you give speeches, but ha - The Mental Game of Speaking: Are You a Mentally Tough Speaking Athlete?
Can you play at the top of your speaking game on demand? How do you handle the rigors of the high st - 5 Things To Conquer Before Any Group Discussion For The Indian Institutes Of Management
Congrats -If you are one of the lucky participants who cleared the CAT Exam. However now you must sh - The Perfect Wedding Speech
Giving the Best Man's speech at a wedding. Is that something that fills you with dread, or is it som - Public Speaking: Confidence Building Tips
The ability to speak well in public helps people in all walks of life. More and more people are invo - How To Connect With Your Audience
How To Connect With Your Audience! Every presentation is a new and different experience deter