Connecting with those that matter... the Audience

Chapter 9 Connecting with the Audience

 

The more  time that is spent practicing and presenting the better we will become. Good presentations are about engaging with the audience and feel their presence, reminding yourself that they matter and appeasing the group as a whole is the goal.

Good presentations are about-

·         Conversing

·         Sharing

·         Connecting on an intellectual and emotional level, but in an honest and sincere way.

Tom Grant is an excellent speaker and is recognized for his jazz music and his continuous delight he passes to his listeners.  You see Jazz, Zen both have an art of connection it’s about the now that matters.  Sumie is a term that means the spirit of Jazz (the natural) - this is related to the honest intention.  

The key to connecting with the audience is beginning with a strong start, diving right in will grab people’s attention and bring them in. Create a P.U.N.C.H which individually stands for

·         P presentation personal and relevant. Use a personal story!

·         UUnxpected- surprise the audience do something unexpected, do something say something  powerful.

·         NNovel-  Introduce something new- a powerful image

·         CChallenging wisdom- a proactive question

·         HHumorous- use humor to connect if the audience laughs then it means they are listening.

People form an impression in the first few moments.  So for starters never start with an apology, and shy away from telling the audience that your nervous or aren’t fully prepared.

What you can do is protect yourself –How?

1.       Don’t be timid  and protect yourself

2.       The way you look (presentation includes yourself) so dress the part be professional

3.       The way you move (don’t be so jittery that you look nervous or questionable) use gestures accordingly. Its ok to move around on stage to engage with people just don’t pace back and forth

4.       The way you sound ( confidence shines through)

A very important tip, is to remind yourself to slow everything down.  Be sure to face the audience and not turn your back, or head away to look at the slides behind you. This looks bad, and seems unorganized. Be sure to connect with eye contact and do so generously.  This is why you don’t want to rely on notes, you want to spend more time engaging in the audience – keep in mind this is to be a natural approach.

The best presenters are almost like there giving a great conversation, giving high energy, standing tall, speaking up and articulating cleanly. Avoid mumbling, slouching and fast pacing or jesters. And most please avoid reading a long drawn out speech, unless that is your trying to put the crowd to sleep.

As Harah hachi Bu states: be sure to stand, deliver and connect, hitting all these aspects will give a guaranteed great presentation with a genuine applause at the end.

What more can you ask for? This post sums up what to do and not to do, I hope you are finding some good information that you can personally apply in your daily life and improve upon in your upcoming ventures.

Thanks for stopping by!