Not to worry. Here we will discover some very powerful public speaking tips to hook any audience. Not only will you get past the presentation or speaking engagement, you’ll wow the audience. If you are really good, you’ll wow yourself too.
1. Utilize the 7 Elements of Public Speaking
Public speaking can be a daunting task and something that isn’t easy for many of us. If you want to improve on your public speaking skills, read on to learn the 7 elements of public speaking. This will lay the foundation to develop the powerful public speaking tips to hook any audience.
i. Know You Audience
Makes sense right? You have to know who your audience is and the reason they are listening to you. If your audience is the board of directors, you probably want to dress the part and speak in a more formal tone and ensure you highlight the most important points. On the other hand, if you are speaking to an audience before kicking off a fundraising walk, you’ll be more casual in your tone but probably throw in some inspirational words to get everyone pumped up.
ii. Warm Up
This is pretty basic as well but worth mentioning. Do a few warm up exercises for your voice so you don’t sound like you have a frog in your throat. Make sure you drink some water before hand so you don’t feel like you have cotton in your mouth. You might try shaking out your body a bit or stretching to feel nice and limber when you take the stage.
iii. Manage Your Anxiety
Yes, you will most likely have some anxiety. That’s okay, accept that you will have it and figure out the best way to manage it. When I know I am going to be nervous about something, I tell myself that’s okay. I’ve been nervous before and things tend to work out fine. Whatever works for you, figure out the best way to manage your anxiety. You might even tell yourself that most people are nervous and anxious when speaking in public.
iv. Gain Personal Credibility
People are there to hear you speak for reason. You’ve got a short window of opportunity to show them that they are spending their time wisely. Right after your introduction, jump in and share something with them so they understand quickly that you know what you are talking about. You want them to feel like they’ve made a wise decision by spending the time coming to listen to you. Show them.
v. Use Different Methods of Presentation
Depending on the situation, you’ll have to decide what the best presentation material will be. If you are giving that pep rally speech, then maybe you don’t need anything except enthusiasm and wearing the t-shirt of the cause you are supporting. If you are presenting to a group of C-Level executives about a potential million dollar purchase they are considering, you’re probably going to want some hard data and facts to show them why the purchase will benefit them. Powerpoint presentations are fine but remember, they aren’t the best use of presentation material for every occasion.
vi. Rehearse Perfectly
You know the saying “practice makes perfect” of course. This is very true in public speaking. I wrote another article How to Memorize a Speech The Smart Way which got great tips for learning how to give a speech. The bottom line is you want to rehearse your presentation until you feel very comfortable making the delivery.
vii. Storytelling
I saved what I consider the best part for last. As humans, we are wired to love a good story. Make sure you have a few to share with your audience. Personal stories that are salient to the point of your speech are the absolute best. If you have stories from other people or sources, make sure you let the audience know where you got the story from. In any event, put in a good story or two. Your audience will love it.
2. Start Off a Speech in a Charming Way
The most critical parts of a speech are the introduction and the conclusion. Sure, the middle is important as well but to really deliver a powerful speech you want to start off with a bang. A way that is going to get your audience hooked initially and excited about what’s coming next. Here are some great ways to start off of a memorable speech to add to your public speaking tips bag of tricks.
Make a Shocking Statement
This is one surefire way to grab the attention of the audience in a hurry. Saying something like “1 out of every 2 people in this room will have another job in 2 years” will get everyone’s eyes on you right away. And it will get their minds wondering what do you mean by that statement. Which also means they will be hooked on the next things you have to say.
Tell a Story
This is one of my favorite ways to start a speech. An engaging story will hook your audience quickly. Recently, I was speaking to a group of recent college graduates at the company I work for. I began the talk by telling them the story of how my truck wound up going backwards down the highway on the way to the presentation due to icy roads. That had everyone wondering how I was standing there and what my truck looked like.
Thank the Audience
This is pretty basic but certainly worth mentioning. Thanking the audience for taking the time to come to the presentation is a great way to get things going. This should be included no matter what other methods you utilize in your opening.
What’s in It for Them
Another great way to get people paying close attention is to tell them what they will get out of the speech or presentation. After all, that’s why most of these people showed up! Getting a taste of what they will gain and or learn from your talk as well as how it will benefit them will get them ready for more.
Solve a Problem
Let the audience know a problem you are going to talk to them about solving that they can relate to. If the audience is made of people who are there to learn how to live a healthier lifestyle, you can say something like “Who here has a difficult time creating a plan for a healthy lifestyle and sticking to it?”. Hands will shoot up all around the room. You can then tell them “I’m here to share with you a simple 5 step process to live a healthier lifestyle.”
3. Show Genuine Emotion
An audience will feel more connected to you if you show genuine emotion. I recently attended a conference with 5,000 of my closest friends. One of the initial speakers was so full of enthusiasm and genuine passion and emotion for what she was presenting to us that we were all hooked on her every word. Her use of genuine emotion fully engaged the entire audience.
4. Tell the Audience Something They Don’t Know
Sharing something with the audience that makes them go “Wow, is that really true?” is a great way to get people hanging on your every word. When you share something that most people haven’t thought about and work it into you speech in such a way that it gives a great launching pad for your next point, you are bound to make a great impression on your audience. When you tell a group something like “most dogs actually understand most of what we are saying” and then show people why this is true, you will be remembered.
5. Make the Benefit About Them
Don’t think of a speech as a way to promote a product, service or yourself. Make it about how the people in the audience will benefit, and you will have made a huge new group of friends. People don’t like to feel like they are getting sold. What they do like is someone sharing tips and tricks with them on how to improve their life or situation or get better in some way. This is a great way to get the audience aligned with you.
6. Slow Down
Many public speakers tend to rush their words. They get anxious or nervous or overly excited, and words tend to rush out a lot faster than they should. To create a more powerful speech that will engage your audience deeper deliberately, slow down the words coming out of your mouth. This is really good to do when you are practicing your speech. By slowing down, the audience can understand you better and you will get better buy in from them.
7. Be Interactive
Something I have noticed over and over in great speeches is how the speakers are interactive with the audience. This doesn’t mean you have to ask everyone to raise their hand every few minutes. That being said, don’t be shy about getting the audience to interact with you from time to time. Take a quick poll. Ask them to say something to the person sitting next to them. A few simple interactive action items like that will go a long way.
8. Be Controversial
We talked about making a shocking statement when you start off your speech. This aligns with that same concept. Making a shocking statement right off the bat will engage people into your speech quickly. You can also sprinkle in some controversial statements or stances throughout your talk to keep people engaged and hooked. It doesn’t have to be completely off the wall either, more like facts and statistics that most people don’t know but make them think more and therefore, listen to you more intently.
9. Get Them Laughing
Another great way to keep an audience hooked is by having them laughing from time to time. Laughing makes us feel good, so this will certainly win you some followers. You have to do this the right way. Don’t tell a lot of jokes, those can fall flat or in some cases offend people. Funny things that happen during a story are great to share. One of the best ways to be humorous during a talk is to use self-deprecating humor. This shows you are self-confident and have character.
10. Use a Prop or Two
This is one of those things where a little bit will go a long way. That being said, it is certainly worth considering to incorporate a few props when appropriate into your speech. Use them in such a way that they will highlight a point. I watched a presentation where a guy took out a cigarette and acted like he was going to light it. Of course the audience reacted. He then went on to tell people that three times as many people passed away from diabetes than lung cancer from smoking. He then proceeded to tell everyone that nobody would have been shocked if he’d taken out a candy bar. Good props, good point.
11. Tell the Audience How Good They Are
Everyone likes hearing that they are good at something or special in some way. A surefire way to get the audience engaged in your speech and listening is to tell them how good they are in some way. Make them feel good about themselves. I was recently at a Talent Acquisition conference. One of the speakers did a great job of making everyone in the audience understand how wonderful they were for connecting talented people to jobs and careers they could make a difference at. And it’s true, that’s how I feel anyway. The cool thing was they pointed out a way to make everyone in the room feel great about themselves.
Bottom Line
By this point, you should feel fairly well armed to make a dazzling speech the next time the opportunity presents itself. Remember, the majority of people are nervous when giving a public speech. Utilize the above public speaking tips to hook any audience at your next speech. Your confidence will increase greatly and the audience will be coming back for more.
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Featured photo credit: Marcos Luiz Photograph via unsplash.com
