Your Holiday Gift to an Audience
Speakers have a responsibility to the audience. It is your job to know who will be in your audience and to plan your speech for them! Just because it is your opportunity to deliver the speech, does not mean that you can stand on your soapbox and use the time with a captured audience to share just exactly what you think about anything and everything. No, you will need to provide content that the audience needs and it is your responsibility to present it in a way that is effective, clear, and to the point. Prove you are a competent speaker by the content that you provide and the manner in which you provide the content.
Speak to your audience using a conversational tone. Your speech should not sound canned or rehearse. It should sound as if you are sitting with each one person in your audience at your kitchen table and discussing the topic over a nice cup of hot tea! Audiences do not want to be talked “at”. They want a conversation between you and them. This is the type of interaction you want on a small scale between you and another person. This is also the type of interaction an audience desires with the speaker. Talking “with” someone, sharing information, feelings, convictions are so much more enjoyable than having someone talk “at” you! Just remember that the same type of interpersonal communication skills that work in a one-on-one or in a small group setting will also work beautifully between a speaker and an audience.
Show the audience that you care about them by the content you provide. Mention their names or the town where you are speaking. Say something positive about their local sports team, mayor, or director of the business where you are speaking. This will help your audience to feel like you wanted to be there with them enough to know what is important to them. It will help you to get the audience in your corner and will also make your speech so much more effective! Consider yourself as a host or hostess at a gathering. Your job is to make your audience comfortable and to supply their every need. If you always speak with your audience as your priority, you will always leave them wanting more! And, this will be a holiday gift that is always appreciated. Happy Holidays!
