How to Create Audience Desire to Hear You Before You Speak a Word
One of the biggest challenges when you speak is to quickly develop a bond with your audience. It’s not easy to earn their trust in a short amount of time.
Depending on which study you read, audiences quickly make up their minds whether or not they like you. They’re also deciding if they’re willing to listen to your message, all within 7 to 30 seconds. What many people don’t know is that you are being judged before you speak.
One Activity to Help You Stand Out From the Crowd
The time before you speak is a golden opportunity to build rapport and connect with audience members… if you are proactive. Most speakers don’t take advantage of this. Take time for one, simple activity, and you can stand out from the crowd.
What is this activity?
Meet as many people as possible BEFORE you speak
Introduce yourself to as many people as possible before your speak. A quick handshake, smile and friendly ‘hello’ opens a connection with each person. It also begins to break the wall that exists between you and the audience member who doesn’t know you.
Speaker Susan Roann is a master of this. She stands at the entrance to the meeting room where she will be presenting, and shakes the hand of every individual who enters that room.
How Does This Help You When You Speak
What does this accomplish? By the time Susan steps on stage, she is not a stranger; in a sense, she is now ‘part of the group’, a new friend. By investing just a couple of seconds with each person, she creates allies who want her to succeed. If it works for Susan, it can work for you.
Another benefit to this is that the audience is more prepared to hear your message. They’re not weighed down by “can I trust her?” or “what is her angle?” type of questions. You’ve ‘humanized’ yourself as a real person, just like them. A few seconds of connection before you speak saves a lot more time when you speak.
With only 7 to 30 seconds to make a positive impact, don’t overlook this key to connecting with your audience. Turn strangers into friends before you speak, and you enhance your odds of leaving a meaningful and lasting impact.
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Michael’s mission is to help leaders, managers and sales professionals communicate with more confidence, impact, and influence. This passion is born from his own communication difficulties early in his career.
Fortunately, he discovered that public speaking is like riding a bike, swimming or driving a car - it’s a learnable skill. Once he discovered this ‘secret’ he became a voracious student of the craft. He took courses, studied some of the world’s best speakers and storytellers and continues to study presentation and business storytelling skills.
He is hired by companies and organizations, leaders, managers and sales professionals, and TEDx speakers to help them become more confident, impactful and influential communicators.
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