My heart went out to a volunteer speaking at a benefit dinner and auction. She had emotional stories and well thought-out slides, but the audience members were more interested in talking amongst themselves than listening to her speech.
What do you do when you have the stage and it feels like you’ve been thrown into a den of lions? One thing that doesn’t work is thinking that raising the volume of the microphone will solve it. (Your audience will only talk louder) Here are 3 action steps that work better:
Before the event:
1) Go to the location beforehand and get a feeling of the space you’ll be speaking in. Ask the event planner for what you need to make your talk a success. If it’s going to be a large crowd, ask that a platform be brought in so you’ll be higher than the audience and clearly visible. Make it easy for your audience members to focus and keep their attention on you.
2) Ask for a wireless microphone. It will allow you to move about the audience and interact in a more personal way. A microphone attached to a podium is a sure way to create a barrier between you and the audience.
3) Talk with the master of ceremony. Ask for a special sound or dimming of the lights to have a clear segue into your talk. Go over your introduction with him or her making it inspiring enough that everyone will want to listen. Be appropriately unpredictable to get and hold their attention.
This speaker told me she found herself rushing through her talk in this uncomfortable situation. Unfortunately, she felt like she just wanted to get it over with. Here are 3 things you can do when you find yourself in a crowd that isn’t paying attention to your message:
1) Take one full breath. In this case, not only was the audience talking amongst themselves, but also teenage girls were having a side conversation right by her side. When something like this is taking your attention, address it in a light, humorous way so you can get you’re your attention back on what you want to accomplish.
2) Involve the audience! Ask questions and use the audience member’s names. If they’re sitting at round tables, invite them to move their chair so they can face the speaker. Use large gestures – be a little outrageous. This is your time to connect with them! Have fun. Like my dog trainer tells me, ‘you’ have to be more interesting than anything else going on in the dog’s environment. Ask yourself what will it take with your particular crowd and do it.
3) Use your voice to add variety. Most speakers speak with the same tone for their entire talk. Just for fun, bring your voice down to a whisper at times. If you want to get an audience to listen to you, the trick isn’t to speak louder; it’s to pause, whisper, shout, speak fast, then slow and feel each word as you speak it. Put your whole body into it!
There’s a reason you’re speaking. Use these tips and make it easy for your audience to hear you and take action on your message.