#1: SPEAK TO ONE PERSON, AND NOT THE GROUP
When somebody gets up on stage in front of a large crowd, what do they usually say in the beginning?
“Ladies and gentlemen.” It seems like a good and proven way to open your speech and captivate the audience. There’s just one big problem with it.
And from the audience’s point of view, the individual person is only having a one-on-one connection with you - the speaker.
So when the speaker uses that phrase, the person in the audience is thinking, “He doesn’t know me…” or “He doesn’t care about me.”
So to deliver a successful presentation, you want to make it as personal as possible - like you’re talking to a friend or a relative of yours.
This creates a better connection between you and the audience.
Now, when you’re talking to a friend, would you say, “Ladies and gentlemen”?
Instead, here’s what you can say: "Hello, I am [Your Name]”
Or a powerful way is open with a question that relates to your presentation to engage the audience:
“Who wants to learn _______?”
“Put up your hand if you want to get more _______?”
Here are some words and phrases you want to eliminate:
“You are such a good crowd!”
"What a good looking group!”
“You all got up early this morning!”
“Take your seats.”
(Instead, say “take your seat”)
And the best way to spot this is to ask yourself, “Would I say this in a one-on-one conversation?” If not, then eliminate it from your speech or presentation.
Once you start speaking to one person and not the group, your audience will stay hooked for much longer.
#2: SPEAK TO ONE PERSON
Imagine you’re standing in front of a group of people, and right in front of you is a big, black box covering your whole body.
You can’t see the audience - and they can’t see you. What would you do to get contact with the audience?
You move left or right and you move your arms outside the range of the box.
You see, most speakers are hiding behind the black box. They stand still and do small hand gestures through their whole presentation.
Or they might be using a music stand that restricts their movement.
And if they stand still and barely move through their whole presentation, how does that make you feel?
So here’s what you can do to make my presentations energetic, educational, and entertaining for the audience and myself… Use a headset microphone so you can move where you want, when you want, and with no limitations.
And imagine that the box is following my movement, so when you’re speaking, you should move from left to right and right to left.
Sometimes, you can step off the stage and go into the audience to get closer to them.
It makes it more personal and increases your bond with the audience and helps you deliver a more successful presentation.
#3: THE 3 E’S
Most people would rather be entertained than educated. That’s why singers like Justin Bieber, Britney Spears, and Madonna can charge what they charge.
And that’s why cat videos and memes are so popular on the internet. So how can you apply this into your public speaking?
You follow the 3 E’s…
Entertain Educate Empower
1) Entertain:
When your audience is having a good time and don’t feel bored, your chances of delivering a successful presentations will skyrocket.
So ask yourself, “How can I make my presentation or speech more entertaining?”
It can be through games and exercises to engage and entertain the audience while learning something new. Which brings me to the second E...
2) Educate:
While or after entertaining, you can give them some valuable information.
Share what’s right and wrong. What works and what doesn’t work. Why does it work… and why does it not work. And you follow this up with the last E...
3) Empower:
You give them something to do. Tips and strategies they can implement right away. When you take away the audience’s doubt and give them something to do, there’s a much higher chance they’ll do it.
And if they do it and get results, what are the chances of them coming back for more tips from you?
#4: VULNERABILITY = POWER
One of the best ways to connect with the audience and deliver a successful presentation is by being vulnerable.
You see, when you’re trying to be perfect... When you’re trying to sound smart... Or when you’re trying to say every line that you scripted out…
The audience can sense that and it’ll be difficult for you to connect with them. Because the best way to connect with a person is by being vulnerable.
It could be by trying to eliminate a word-for-word script from your speech.
Or it could be by sharing a personal story.
When you go on stage…
with nothing to hide…
Nothing to prove…
And nothing to protect…
You gain more confidence, power, and authority as a speaker.
#5: DELIVER FROM YOUR “POWER SPOT”
What do I mean by “Power Spot”?
It’s the spot on stage that’s in the center of the audience. That’s the place of power.
Now, it doesn’t mean you should stay in your power spot all the time (Remember #2 above)..
So Here’s A Powerful Bonus Tip…
From the audience’s point of view, the left side of the stage is the past… the middle is present… and the right side is the future. So when you’re telling a story or something that goes From past to future, you start on the left side (which is your right side)...You talk about the negatives, the obstacles, and challenges from the past.Then you move to the middle of the stage and share what you do now.
Finally, you move to the right side of the stage and talk about the future.
Why is this powerful?
Because as an audience, you start with the left side of the brain, which is your memory, and move to the left side, which is creativity.
Also, when you write something, do you go from left to right or from right to left?
And when you go from left to right, to the audience it feels like a timeline.
