How to Avoid Hecklers as a Speaker

How to avoid 'Hecklers'?

The clue is in the title, so if you've opened up this article expecting to find some witty Jimmy Carr type one-liners, or a few brutal Franky Boylesque put downs, then I'm sorry, you're in the wrong place.

BUT, if you want to know the secret of avoiding 'hecklers', and all that they bring, read on.

Over the last couple of weeks I've been to a couple of professional speakers meetings, and heard some fantastic advice and tips on how to 'deal' with hecklers in a public/professional speaking situation. The advice has all been rock solid, and borne of many long years experience by respected speakers, comperes and the like. But nobody, and I mean nobody, has identified the 'secret'....and it's a very simple answer.

When I delivered a presentation about 'The Twilight Zone' of 'after dinner speaking', a couple of weeks ago, the first question I was asked at the end of the presentation was, "how do you deal with hecklers?" The interest in the subject, and the frequency of it being raised, suggest to me that it's a really big issue for many speakers, and is probably a significant contributing factor to speakers, professional or otherwise, being reticent about standing up and having a 'go'.

The 'answer' lies in the answer to the question "Why do people heckle?" 

So why do they? Well I suppose there are people out there who just like the sound of their own voice and are simply, genetically predisposed to behave like pillocks, and there's not a lot you can do about them....legally. But, a lot of hecklers think they're funnier, cleverer or more entertaining than the speaker and they think that by demonstrating that superiority vocally, they can impress their friends, their colleagues, the people around them. But just as it takes a level of courage to stand up and speak in front of an audience, so does it also take a level of courage to raise your voice as an audience member, and heckle.

Think of some of the greatest speeches and speakers you've heard. Did anyone heckle? No! And why not? Because their audience was captivated, mesmerized, completely engaged, hanging on every word, and that's exactly what you should be aiming for.

Simply put, the better your performance the less likely you are to be heckled - and that means preparation, practice, research, building a 'bridge' with your audience, constantly monitoring audience feedback and responding accordingly. So here's the answer, the Holy Grail....

"Be SO good that they don't want to heckle, and be SO good that no-one else wants them to either!"

One of the best outcomes I've ever seen to a persistent and disruptive heckler was for the audience to 'self regulate'. The speaker was SO good that the audience really wanted to hear what he had to say, so they literally picked up the offending heckler , removed him from the venue, the speaker resumed and a good night was had by all!

There's often a threshold in an audience's reaction to a speech;  a point at which you start to 'lose' them. Don't worry, you'll get plenty of clues; audience members may start to lose eye contact with you, background noise might start to rise for instance. Whatever the clue, you need to recognise it, register it and do something about it. Those clues will also be there for the potential heckler. They'll sense the 'blood in the water' and try and exploit it, because as your 'grip' on the audience decreases, so rises their courage to speak.  

But here's where you have the upper hand! You've got the microphone! And what's more, you've recognised the audience dynamics, the change in atmosphere, and with luck you've done something about it. So don't be afraid to talk over a potential heckler. Deny them the 'oxygen of publicity' by simply not acknowledging them. They're going to have to go through that whole psychological turmoil of 'screwing their courage to the sticking place' again if they're going to have another go. Take that time and use it to your own advantage. Work harder to regain any of the momentum you've lost, and regain your 'hold' on the audience.

That may sound easier said than done, but you can plan ahead, and hold what I call a 'showstopper' story, anecdote, one liner, slide, whatever, in reserve. Something you know will rejuvenate an audience, and something that you know can be turned to in case of emergency.

So there's the secret. Avoid hecklers by being so damn good that they don't want to.....but don't expect to be that good without planning, preparing and paying attention. Good luck!

(Peter Edge is an after dinner speaker, keynote speaker, MC and Event Host with over thirty years speaking experience).