4 Tips to Win Your Audience in Public Speaking
You have been in that situation. The horrifying moment of being called on stage, with a silent, expecting audience listening intently and waiting for you to open your mouth. It’s your turn, you have to start speaking, but how do you start? How do you grab the attention of your audience with confidence, power, and charm? You don’t want to start mumbling under your breath in the microphone, you need to step up your game.
The unfortunate reality is, your audience will judge you by first impressions. The first five minutes of your speech will make or break what you plan on laying out for them. You need to start strong and remain strong. The following tips will give you a chance to do just that:
It’s About More than Words
In most cases, people will forget what you said, or what you did, but the feeling will remain long after your speech is concluded. Winning your audience over in the first five minutes is more important than you know. The key to making that happen is to get your audience in the right state of mind. Showing confidence in the topic you’re speaking about will make the audience have confidence in you as well.
You don’t need to go all-in from the start, however. The biggest worry public speakers have is to be insecure. Starting with confidence requires being yourself. There are different ways to start, but all require you to catch the attention first.
Being Yourself
You can spend ample time locked in worry about speaking, with disruptive thoughts getting in the way. Are you prepared? Dressed upright? What would the audience think when they see you? There is a conga line of questions that never ends, but you should worry less about your presentation if you get focused on simply being yourself. Connecting to that inner you is the best way to break the ice between the audience and yourself. Use a method that gets you focused and relaxed. Maybe you can find a quiet place before you go on stage, maybe you can do a breathing exercise, whatever works. Focusing on your intent and your breathing before speaking is a great way to get the ball rolling. You should think about the qualities you want to show as a speaker, and the benefit you can give to your audience. Feeling grounded and calm is vital to public speaking.
The First Words
The most important bit is knowing what you’ll open up with. When speaking, avoid starting up with lines like:
I’m sorry, this won’t take long/Thank you, it’s a pleasure to be here/I was asked to give this speech X days ago and so forth.
You don’t want to sound boring from the first moment you open your mouth. This is your moment to grab their attention. Find something engaging, memorable and unique to say as your first words. The words need to be something that comes naturally to you, so your speech flows right from the start.
Ask Provocative Questions
This is an excellent way to start your speech, as it allows you to focus people’s attention on something specific. That question could be the crux of your entire speech, which makes it a wonderful way to open up. You can ask your audience how some people are capable of achieving the seemingly impossible, or any other question that provokes the audience to think about the subject matter. This is one of the best ways to present your topic as you go forward.
