Learn to Engage Your Audience

If you want to be known as an effective speaker and presenter you have to learn to engage your audience.

The sooner you engage your audience in your speech or presentation the more likely you are to capture their attention. There are several ways to do that. I will focus on a couple techniques.

Early in your speech you could ask a question? If I am speaking on public speaking and presentations skills I could ask my audience; “By a show of hands who wants to be a better speaker or presenter?” I can pretty much guarantee that everyone will put up their hand.

You could ask a rhetorical question. You are not expecting a response. The question could be “How would your life change if you could improve your speaking and presentation skills?”

Both of these questions are examples of how you can pull your audience into your content before you even begin sharing your content.

Don’t stop there. Look for other opportunities to engage your audience throughout your speech or presentation. If you are going to share a story you could say to your audience, “I want you to imagine this.” Then share your story. You have now made them a participant in the story.

When you engage your audience you are making it about them and not about you.

Now go out and Make Your Voice Heard!

Want to learn the 5 Tools (you already have) to become a confident, engaging and effective speaker?

I would love to hear your thoughts on this. Leave me a comment or suggest a topic for a future blog.