Engaging your online or hybrid audience without physical cues can be challenging, especially if you are used to speaking in front of a live crowd. However, with some tips and strategies, you can still deliver a motivational speech that captures their attention, inspires them to take action, and builds rapport with them. Here are some ways to do that.
Your voice is one of your most powerful tools as a motivational speaker, and you need to use it wisely to convey your message, emotions, and personality. To engage your online or hybrid audience, you need to vary your tone, pitch, pace, and volume, as well as use pauses, questions, and stories to create interest and suspense. Avoid speaking in a monotone, too fast, or too low, as these can make you sound boring, nervous, or unconfident. Practice your speech aloud and record yourself to listen for areas of improvement.
What's more powerful than words? How you use them. The theory by Professor Albert Mehrabian states that 38% + 55% of the meaning people get from a context comes from the WAY people say things - deducible from their voice and body language. So, when you're speaking, remember what Maya Angelou said, "People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel."
Visual aids can help you illustrate your points, reinforce your message, and keep your audience focused. They can also add some color, humor, and creativity to your presentation. However, you need to choose your visual aids carefully and use them sparingly, as too many or too complex can distract or confuse your audience. Some examples of effective visual aids are slides, images, videos, graphs, charts, and diagrams. Make sure they are relevant, clear, simple, and consistent with your brand and theme.
Interaction is key to engaging your online or hybrid audience, as it makes them feel involved, valued, and connected. You can interact with your audience in various ways, such as asking them questions, conducting polls, surveys, or quizzes, inviting them to share their opinions, experiences, or feedback, or using chat, Q&A, or breakout rooms to facilitate discussion. You can also use gestures, facial expressions, eye contact, and body language to communicate with your audience, even if they are not visible to you. Try to address them by name, acknowledge their comments, and respond to their queries.
Your online or hybrid audience will only stay engaged if they find your speech valuable and relevant to their needs, goals, or interests. You need to know your audience well, and tailor your content, style, and delivery to suit them. You need to provide them with useful information, practical tips, actionable steps, or inspiring stories that can help them solve a problem, achieve a result, or improve their situation. You also need to show them how your speech relates to their current context, challenges, or opportunities.
The only way to get anyone to pay attention to something is by telling them what they want to hear. This may make it seem impossible to tell people anything they don't think they already know. It's not, but it is harder. When you're speaking with others, start by putting what you're saying in context - THEIR context! The best presentations engage all people's senses and their imagination. Metaphors, similes and stories are incredibly powerful forms of persuasion. But start by getting people on side - that means listening and doing your homework about them, first.
The ending of your speech is your last chance to make an impact on your online or hybrid audience, and leave them with a positive impression and a clear call to action. You need to create a memorable ending that summarizes your main points, reinforces your message, and motivates your audience to take the next step. You can use a powerful quote, a catchy slogan, a compelling story, or a strong statement to end your speech on a high note. You can also thank your audience for their time, attention, and participation, and invite them to follow up with you or your organization.
"It is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning." - Winston Churchill. He was a renowned public orator and inspirer during very dark days in England's history. He never gave up. But your presentations must end. So, please, end them with a bang, not a whimper!
Storytelling !! No I don't mean starting a presentation with 'once upon a time..' . Leveraging storytelling techniques to make an otherwise long and drawn out speech more dynamic, works wonders in keeping your audience engaged. - Start with a hook (make them want to listen to you) - Ask rhetorical questions as you move from one key point to another (break it up a little, re-hook them if you will) - Use metaphors to simplify a complex topic - Tell them what you're expecting from them at the end (what action do you want them to take following your presentation?) - Step outside your comfort zone! (if you want to stand out, you have to dare to be a bit different)