This is a 3-part series designed to give speakers and presenters the foundation for all effective presentations. In other words, get this right and your chances of success go up dramatically. Get it wrong, and you'll be more likely to leave your audience confused and disappointed.
All speakers essentially have the same three goals when they reach the platform. If they can accomplish all three, they will succeed. If they accomplish one or two, they will still have some success, but maybe not as much as they would hope.
All speakers essentially have the same three goals when they reach the platform. If they can accomplish all three, they will succeed. If they accomplish one or two, they will still have some success, but maybe not as much as they would hope.
Entertain
The first goal, which is the subject of this post, is to entertain. You want the audience to feel entertained, to have a good time, to enjoy being in the audience watching you.
Now, this may seem obvious, but there's a practical reason for this. In order for the audience to "hear" what you're saying, you have to have their attention. They have to be listening. In order to do that, they need to be engaged with what you're saying.
Boring speakers produce wandering minds. The smart phones come out. People start texting. The more polite ones are simply reading their emails or texts.
Engage
If you haven't engaged the audience, forget trying to teach them anything. Forget trying to get them to support your cause. Forget trying to encourage any new behavior.
So, it's the entertaining speaker who stands the best chance of getting his or her points across. Think of when you were in the audience and enjoyed an entertaining speaker. Didn't you pay attention to what the speaker said? Didn't you find yourself looking for ways to apply the information in your own life?
The first goal, which is the subject of this post, is to entertain. You want the audience to feel entertained, to have a good time, to enjoy being in the audience watching you.
Now, this may seem obvious, but there's a practical reason for this. In order for the audience to "hear" what you're saying, you have to have their attention. They have to be listening. In order to do that, they need to be engaged with what you're saying.
Boring speakers produce wandering minds. The smart phones come out. People start texting. The more polite ones are simply reading their emails or texts.
Engage
If you haven't engaged the audience, forget trying to teach them anything. Forget trying to get them to support your cause. Forget trying to encourage any new behavior.
So, it's the entertaining speaker who stands the best chance of getting his or her points across. Think of when you were in the audience and enjoyed an entertaining speaker. Didn't you pay attention to what the speaker said? Didn't you find yourself looking for ways to apply the information in your own life?
Entertaining is about your overall delivery, how bright and upbeat are you. It's about your posture and your facial expressions. It's about your voice and your inflections (nothing worse than a monotone or flat delivery).
Of course. But, what do I mean by entertaining?
Well, it's not song and dance (unless that's your thing). It's not stand-up comedy (unless that's what you do). And it's not dramatic reading, juggling or standing on your head.
What I mean by entertaining is to present your information in a colorful, amusing and energetic manner with enough pacing, pausing and gestures that will help people consume and apply your message.
Overall delivery
Entertaining is about your overall delivery, how bright and upbeat are you. It's about your posture and your facial expressions. It's about your voice and your inflections (nothing worse than a monotone or flat delivery).
Perhaps most important, an entertaining speech is one with interesting and amusing stories that help the audience picture what it is you're saying in their own minds.
So, point number one: Entertain your audience. Do that, and the rest will be mch easier.
Well, it's not song and dance (unless that's your thing). It's not stand-up comedy (unless that's what you do). And it's not dramatic reading, juggling or standing on your head.
What I mean by entertaining is to present your information in a colorful, amusing and energetic manner with enough pacing, pausing and gestures that will help people consume and apply your message.
Overall delivery
Entertaining is about your overall delivery, how bright and upbeat are you. It's about your posture and your facial expressions. It's about your voice and your inflections (nothing worse than a monotone or flat delivery).
Perhaps most important, an entertaining speech is one with interesting and amusing stories that help the audience picture what it is you're saying in their own minds.
So, point number one: Entertain your audience. Do that, and the rest will be mch easier.
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