Words Matter #11: Earn your audience’s attention

 
Words-Matter-1-17.jpg

Attention spans are short and distractions are abundant.

It’s easy to blame your audience when it seems like no one is listening.

It’s not them.

What appears to be disrespect is really boredom.

Want to capture their undivided attention?

Be interesting.

You don’t have to put on a show to be interesting; you do have to:

Speak with confidence.

Speak with clarity.

Speak with conviction.

As you prepare for your next presentation ask yourself two key questions:

  • Why is this topic important to my listeners?

  • Why must this message come through me?

Infuse these answers into every word you say.

Words matter; earn your audience’s attention.

Click to hone your skills with another topic in the Words Matter series:

Words Matter #12: Design and deliver better questions

Words Matter #10: Choose learning over knowing

Words Matter #9: Say what you want

Words Matter #8: Maximize your conversational influence

Words Matter #7: Face your truth

Words Matter #6: Aim to impact; not impress

Words Matter #5: What’s love got to do with it?

Words Matter #4: Don’t contaminate the conversation

Words Matter #3: It's not about you

Words Matter #2: Three dead-weight words to leave behind

Words Matter #1: Communicate with power

What topics intrigue you?