Do you Connect with your Audience when Speaking in Public?

When listening to a top-level professional speaker, do you ever notice that it often appears as if they aren’t presenting to the audience so much as having a chat with them? Each individual listening feels as though the speaker is speaking to them personally.

While this is a skill that requires a lot of experience to master, the key thing you must do if you want people to buy into you when public speaking is connect well with your audience. Here’s a few ways you can do this.

Please note that I'm focusing on in-person speaking here, as in-person events are soon to, if not already, starting up again.

1.???Smile

It’s such a simple point that you might wonder why it even needs to be mentioned. But people are more likely to like you if you radiate warmth and don’t look miserable – and a smile is an easy way to do this.?

I don’t mean you should be grinning like a Cheshire cat throughout your presentation, or after each pause in what you’re saying you should look up and fix a grin on your face. But you want to be friendly.

So, as you walk up to start your talk, a genuine smile while looking at the audience will make them warm to you.

?2. Body language

Smiling is just one of the non-verbal cues we all give when speaking. How you position yourself, the way you gesture and the way you move all form a part of the message you’re trying to get across. If you are uncomfortable, it will be obvious.

I like to plant my feet firmly on the ground, about shoulder width apart to centre myself. I don’t worry about what I’m doing with my hands. Instead – I do what I would in a normal conversation with a friend or colleague.

Chances are, when you are trying to get your point across, you use your hands and arms to gesture to help make your point. It’s the same when presenting. You will appear less obviously nervous and more ‘normal’ if you do allow your body to help you express yourself.

What about moving? Everyone is different, and there are some very powerful speakers who stay rooted to the spot, and others who are seemingly constantly on the move. I believe that some movement will add dynamism to your presentation – but the key is to always move with purpose. Don’t meander around as this betrays signs of nerves.

The good news is that in many of the scenarios that you will likely be speaking in – for example networking groups – you’ll stand up where you’re seated in the room and deliver from there. So keep your feet planted, use your hands – and now you can start to think about looking at the audience.

3. Eye contact

When you’re in a one on one conversation and the other person doesn’t look you in the eye, how does it feel? Obviously, it doesn’t feel genuine, or perhaps you might think they’re trying to hide something.

It’s the same when speaking to an audience. Try to make eye contact with as many people as possible by roving your eyes around the room and looking at them. Clearly, you’re only going to briefly look at each individual person (staring at one or two isn’t a good idea…), but even that moment of eye contact will make them feel like you’re speaking to them.

As the number in the audience grows, it will become harder if not impossible to catch everyone’s eye – but even then, I focus my gaze around as many parts of the room as possible. Start with the back, just running your eyes slowly along the rows – this will make it look like you are getting eye contact even if you can’t realistically do so.

4. Using your Voice

Your voice will play a big part in how you connect with your audience. No one wants to listen to someone that speaks in a monotone – it gets boring quickly.

You can vary your voice in one of two main ways – volume and speed. You might think that changing volume means speaking normally, and then from time to time raising your voice. But it’s easy to get too ‘shouty’ if you’re not careful. Being audible is obviously important, but don’t underestimate the power of lowering the volume when you’re making an important point.

With speed, my general rule is to slow down. I often find that because I’m enthusiastic about what I’m saying, it’s very easy talk far too fast. Speaking speed is measured in Words per Minute (wpm). Typical conversation speed is generally somewhere between 120-150 wpm – when giving a speech, this drops slightly to 100-130 wpm.

But the key is to vary it. For example, when you’re telling a story, you might speed up because the audience is easily following the narrative of the story and they just want to hear what happened. When done, slow down your speech as you reinforce the learnings from the story,

Indeed at times, silence can really help you connect with your audience. Allowing a second or two break gives time to process what you’re saying and your message.

5. Energy & Certainty

Remember, you’re trying to promote yourself, and to do that you need to get people to buy into you. If this is going to happen, they need to believe in you, and one of the best ways to make this happen is to project energy and certainty.

Energy doesn’t mean constant movement – it just means radiating positive energy. I often get told after I’ve done a talk that I come across as very energetic – and that’s because I am very enthusiastic about my topic. The enthusiasm and energy show through my movement, my voice, my smile, and the way it feels that I’m just having a chat with the people in the audience.

Certainty is all about you delivering a believable message. You’re clear about your thoughts and beliefs. You know what you want to achieve. You’re positive about the outcomes you present.

If you’re speaking about something that you’re passionate about (and let’s face it, you should be, given you’re talking about your business and your why) – that energy and certainty will come through loud and clear.