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How to Charm Your Audience During a Speech
When giving a speech or presentation, making the audience feel appreciated, comfortable and worthy is important to the success of your speech.
You can accomplish this is in a few ways depending on your public speaking style and the topic you're speaking about. Learning as much as you can about the audience gives you a better idea of how to approach the topic and how to begin and end your speech.
Show Your Appreciation for the Audience
Thanking your audience for attending is a great way to charm them from the beginning. Regardless of whether audience members were invited or they paid to hear your speech, thanking them for spending their time with you is a way to pay respect to the audience.
At the end of your speech, you should thank the audience again. Showing respect for the audience can help you make an instant connection that will last throughout the entire speech or presentation.
Treat the Audience as an Equal
When you talk to the audience using a conversational tone, you're inviting them to take part in the learning process. Even if your goal of the speech is to teach the audience more about a topic they may know little about, maintaining a conversational tone throughout is a way to build trust and respect with the audience.
If you've ever heard a speech given by someone who appeared overly confident or a speech given by someone who spoke using only academic or industry terms, then you understand the importance of maintaining a friendly tone. Speaking to an audience should be viewed as talking with a friend. Speeches people remember are those that are clear, easy to follow, and have a powerful meaning underneath.
Even when speaking to those in a particular industry, don't assume that everyone understands the terms you're using. While you don't want to insult the audience by explaining terms they already understand, take the time to add a few examples of what you're saying to better illustrate your points.
Tell a Joke or a Story
One of the best ways to charm an audience is by opening your speech or presentation with a joke or a story. This is a great way to make the audience comfortable. Make sure the story relates to the overall theme or the audience will not fully understand what you're trying to say.
If you don't have a clever joke or story, find a quote that's relevant. Use a similar quote at the end to tie the speech together.
When deciding which jokes or stories to tell, make sure they will not offend anyone in the audience. If you aren't sure about a joke or a story, err on the side of caution and avoid using it in your speech or presentation as the last thing you want is to make the audience uncomfortable before going any further with your speech.
Charming the audience isn't as difficult as you think. Be creative and try out different ideas until you find the one that sets the tone for your entire speech.
About the Author Sharon Alexander - Claim That Job.com For more career management information and to get a free job hunting report, visit Claim That Job.com |
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