E-couragement: What Would You Do?
“What you say has value only when it’s relevant to your listener.” Rich SchlentzThis is the Scenario: Eleven hundred people have been in their seats for three hours. They've heard six or seven presentations from various subject matter experts. By the time I begin, their primary interest is: what's for lunch and will there be free beer at the afternoon pool party? As an engaging communicator, what would you do? Here’s what I did…
Coach the introducer: Typical bio’s are boring and speaker centric. The audience deserves better than that. In this case, the introduction is personal, brief, and instructional. Notice how my introducer guides the audience to stand and clap. Time is precious, don’t waste it on a bad “takeoff.”
Play upbeat music: Find a way to raise the energy in the room. Based on the audience demographics, Joan Jett & the Blackhearts was sure to resonate with them.
Change your entrance: Until this point, every speaker entered from back stage. One way to capture attention is to break a pattern. Entering from the rear of the ballroom achieved this goal.
Interact with the audience: I intentionally made physical contact with the audience. Because this is a long-time client, and I know many of them personally, it was appropriate and added to the energy.
Deliver a unique and relevant opening: The opening statements were custom created for this audience. It was unique and “seeded” with references that demonstrate my familiarity with them.
Influential communicators create a memorable experience by preparing in advance for their audience and considering the conditions they’re facing. Wonder if it worked? Watch the video below and see what you think.
Leave your comments:How have you successfully captured the attention of your audience before?