Bond with the audience

First of two articles on effective public speaking: how to get the audience on your side

The Journal, February 2004, page 36

The confident MP walked into the room full of business leaders, who had given up their evening to be there. “You’ll have to forgive me,” he said, “I have not had much time to prepare.” He then complained about his long hours, described himself as an excellent speaker and declared that probably no-one else could do his job. The audience were not impressed.

Two young Glaswegians nervously stood up before a crowd of Russian business leaders. They hoped the translator was competent. They opened with jokes about corrupt Russian traffic police. As the translation filtered through, the laughter erupted. They were off to a flying start. The presentation contained references to Russian cartoon characters and celebrities, and an impression of a drunken Boris Yeltsin. The audience were won over.

What was the key difference between these two talks? In essence, the first speaker did not “know” his audience – he failed to bond with them. In the second example, the speakers spent time researching their audience. As a result, despite the language barrier, they bonded with them.

The importance of bonding

“Acting consists of the ability to keep an audience from coughing”(Jean-Louis Barrault)

A speech does not take place in a vacuum. Whether a speech was good all depends on the response of the audience. If a speaker does not have the attention and empathy of the audience, all parties might as well go home.

A useful concept to examine here is known as the public speaking triangle. The three sides are the speaker, the speech and the audience. Most novice speakers invest the bulk of their time on the speech, a little on the speaker and none at all on the audience. This is a mistake. Your talk will only be a success if you have devoted sufficient effort to all three sides. How much time did you spend thinking about the audience for your last speech?

How to know your audience

In order to begin “knowing” the audience, answer these questions:

Who is the audience? It could be one of: your department; a group of partners; a group of employees; a conference of your peers; a conference of potential clients.

What is the size of your audience? It could be anything from a single person in a small room to several hundred in an auditorium. Different strategies will be relevant depending on the audience size.

What is the background of your audience? You want to obtain as accurate a picture as you can. If possible, find out ages, knowledge of subject and professional level.

What are the topical issues? Find out the issues of the day and be prepared to make one or two comments. A quick scan of the news should suffice. Then find out the topical issues for the particular group. If addressing a group of HR managers, spend a few minutes with your own HR manager to learn current marketplace thinking.

Is there a humorous angle? Try to find one or two light-hearted topics that might amuse your audience. For example if a construction lawyer were to address a group of contractors, then a few comments about sub-contractors would win favour. Similarly if it was a group of architects, a few broadsides aimed at contractors would work well.

Two golden rules

At this point it is worth highlighting two crucial rules:

The first rule is to make sure you bond early. It is often said that in a formal interview, the interviewer makes a decision within the first five minutes. The same principle holds true in public speaking, except that you only have 30 seconds to make an impression. Be sure not to waste this “golden half-minute”. Plan something to bond with the audience within the opening 30 seconds.

The second rule is to bond at least every 10 minutes. Neurologists tell us that the brain generally goes into “auto shut-off” after 10 minutes unless something is done to stimulate it. Accordingly, the speaker should ensure there is enough stimulating material to engage the audience within every 10 minute period.  

Devices for bonding

There are literally hundreds of methods for getting an audience engaged. The most appropriate depend on the type of audience and the subject matter. Below are six of the most common and straightforward methods. Any speaker who adopts some of these will find an instant increase in audience interest.

1. Ask them questions. Ask general questions of the group and then pick specific individuals to give answers. When you point to an audience member, you will notice all eyes being diverted towards them. The simple asking of a question will raise interest levels. If you can get good contributions from a number of people, a stimulating atmosphere is created.
2. Ask for a show of hands. This can be done in several ways. You might want to ask who has dealt with the subject matter before. That gives you an insight into audience knowledge. Alternatively you might want to ask them to vote on a particular issue. A show of hands is good because it gets everyone involved.
3. Get them all to stand up. This is very useful if you happen to speak just after lunch when everyone is sleepy. If you spy dozers in your audience, this can give them a quick rush of blood. A good variation on this is to ask them to stay standing if they believe X and sit down if they believe Y. Anyone who watches Graham Norton on television will enjoy this one. Again, it is good because it gets everyone involved.
4. In every audience there will be a few interesting characters that everyone knows. Mention them by name at relevant points – again, you will see everyone focus on the person named. It also lets the audience see that you know at least some of them.
5. Walk into the audience. Move away from the comfort zone and literally walk into the audience. The sheer act of moving will force them to re-focus their sights on you. This is particularly useful for engaging people in the back rows.
6. Get audience members to assist you. If you need to write on a flipchart, invite someone to act as a scribe. If you demonstrate something, get one of the audience to hold an object. Involve them wherever you can.

Conclusion

“If you give audiences a chance they’ll do half your acting for you” (Katharine Hepburn)

If you want your speech to be a success, you must know your audience. Knowing them, however, is only the first step. You have to take active steps to bond with the audience. This ought to be done at the beginning of the speech and at various intervals, bearing in mind the automatic 10 minute shut-off.

Gavin Brown, Director, Speak With Impact Ltd gavin@speakwithimpact.com www.speakwithimpact.com 0141-553-2356; 0790-969-7018