5 strategies to defuse the audience

October 9, 2008 by Olivia Mitchell 

Sometimes your audience needs defusing. You may know ahead of time that the audience is likely to be hostile to your ideas, or there may be a big issue looming over them which distracts them from listening to your presentation. Or they may simply not be that interested in listening to you.

Whatever the issue, it’s best to acknowledge it in the opening of your presentation. Here are some strategies:

1. Acknowledge the audience’s concerns

If your audience is riled about something before you even start- don’t ignore it. For example, public meetings around infrastructure issues can explode in emotion, if the audience doesn’t feel listened to.

You may be familiar with the concept of “reflective listening”  or “active listening” in one-on-one conversation. You can apply the principles underlying active listenting when you’re talking to an audience. By acknowledging the emotions, you can reduce the likelihood of chaos.

However, you do have to have some sensitivity in the way that you do this. Avoid cliches like “I understand how you’re feeling.” That’s a recipe for them to fire back with “Oh no, you don’t - how can you know what’s it’s like to live here”. Add specificity, for example, “I can understand that the idea of huge wind turbines on the hills behind your home is very concerning.”

2. Find common ground

When you’re addressing a controversial issue, start by identifying what you have in common with your audience. Listen to Barack Obama as he touched on what we have in common in his now famous speech on race “A More Perfect Union”:

I chose to run for the presidency at this moment in history because I believe deeply that we cannot solve the challenges of our time unless we solve them together - unless we perfect our union by understanding that we may have different stories, but we hold common hopes; that we may not look the same and we may not have come from the same place, but we all want to move in the same direction - towards a better future for our children and our grandchildren.

I have seen Nandor Tanczos, previously a Green Party MP in  New Zealand, do this effectively in a debate on drug law reform. He was arguing for the decriminalization of cannabis - but he reached out to all the members of the audience by identifying the common ground in the debate - that we were all interested in reducing the harm done by drugs.

3. Name the elephant in the room

If there’s an issue on everybody’s minds - address it head-on. Else your audience will be distracted from your substantive content.

The classic example of this is now Randy Pausch in The Last Lecture. For those of you new to the blogosphere, Randy Pausch was a computer science professor at Carnegie Mellon University. Professors at Carnegie Mellon were traditionally asked to give a speech entitled “The Last Lecture” in which they passed on their life’s wisdom to students. In Randy’s case it truly was his Last Lecture - he had recently been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and given 3-6 months to live (sadly he died in July). Every person in the audience knew about the diagnosis. If Randy hadn’t mentioned it right at the start, it would have been swirling around their minds and interfering with their concentration on what he was saying. Randy addressed his diagnosis head-on by showing slides of his CT scans to the audience. He demonstrated that he wasn’t feeling sorry for himself and said he didn’t want anybody else to feel sorry for him. Having dispatched “the elephant in the room” Randy was then able to get on with his presentation.

Note: If you haven’t yet seen The Last Lecture make the time to do so (about 70 mins). Once you’ve seen it you’ll want your loved ones to see it, so make it a family event.

4. Give them a reason for listening

If your audience don’t have an inherent interest in the topic of your presentation, then give them a reason for listening. Identify the benefit to them of listening.

Tony, my co-trainer at Effective Speaking, used to train sound engineers and radio technicians in how to carry out cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR). As they worked with electricity there was always the risk that one of their colleagues might get electrocuted. But none of them looked forward to the idea of doing CPR on their colleagues! Tony would introduce the session by saying “Imagine you come home from work and your wife or your child is lying unmoving on the the kitchen floor. In this session we’re going to look at what you need to do.” Having the skills to save your loved ones - that’s a benefit.

5. Acknowledge weaknesses

Barack Obama spoke to the American Israel Public Affairs Committee at a time that many wild rumours about him were circulating. Here’s how he started:

Before I begin, I want to say that I know some provocative e-mails have been circulating throughout Jewish communities across the country. A few of you may have gotten them. They’re filled with tall tales and dire warnings about a certain candidate for president. And all I want to say is — let me know if you see this guy named Barack Obama, because he sounds pretty frightening.

In Yes: 50 secrets from the art of persuasion, Cialdini and his co-authors report on a study of jury decision-making.

When jurors heard a lawyer mention a weakness in his own case before the opposing attorney mentioned it, they rated him as more trustworthy and were more favourable to his overall case in their verdicts because of that perceived honesty.

Do you have audiences you need to defuse? Let us know in the comments.

Epic Failure: How to Not Connect with the Audience

Posted by chris on Tuesday, August 12th 2008   

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12
Aug

Here is what I want you to do: Think about the most recent presentation to which you have been subjected. Be it live, on the Internet, or via the television.

Without referencing the presentation, what were the top 10 points of the presentation? If you are like myself and can’t remember, then you are not alone.

Yesterday I sat though an hour long presentation. Today, I cannot recall any of the main points. I can’t remember anything because the speaker did not care enough about the material to connect with the audience and make a point. Epic Failure for a presenter.

Here is what you can do to not connect with the audience and make a point:

1. Take silence as a meaning the audience understands your points
2. Throw up a lot of information on a PowerPoint slide and then proceed to read it line by line
3. Present other people’s information as your own
4. Be arrogant and assume that what you are presenting is the best way to solve the problem
5. If you are facilitating a brainstorming session and someone’s idea doesn’t match your idea, then reject it

That is what most corporate presenters are good at doing during their presentations. They don’t connect and we don’t remember their points.

Instead, you should try connecting with the audience:

1. If they are silent, then do an exercise to get them to interact with you. Make them physically demonstrate your point so that you know they understand what you are trying to present.
2. Get away from PowerPoint. Start with a flip chart if you need to diagram information or start with very simple concepts and work your way to more complex diagrams.
3. Have the person that gave you the information present their findings, or make sure to quote the person if they are not there. Get their permission to quote them if they are not present.
4. Be humble and present the material so that the audience can understand the material in more than one way.
5. Write down every idea the audience has during a brainstorming session…even if you don’t agree with it. Who knows? You might be wrong.

Remember that your job as a presenter and facilitator is to present factual information in a way that the audience understands, build consensus, and give a solution to a problem facing an organization.

Are you up for it?
If you are serious about connection, then I suggest picking up a copy of Connect with Any Audience:

If you want to learn from the best live and in person, then I suggest a Coaching Champ Camp. You will walk away knowing how to truly connect with any audience.

About the Author: My Toastmasters Blog is written Chris Elliott. Chris serves as a leader for supply chain and international non-profit organizations. He enjoys uses his knowledge and experiences during his speaking engagements, workshops, consulting projects, and one-on-one coaching sessions. The result—connecting people and empowering change. If you would like information on how you can bring Chris to speak to your club or organization, please click here.

Are You Getting Worse As a Speaker?

Posted by admin on Wednesday, October 1st 2008   

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1
Oct

I have spoken to 5 difference audiences in a week. In that time I have noticed something about my presentation. I am not connecting with the audience or communicating as well as I have in the past. Then it hit me, and it is a problem I see in many accomplished Toastmasters and speakers.

You are too comfortable with speaking

In my case, I have become too comfortable with my speaking so I don’t put as much nervous energy into my speeches. I used to get up and hit the audience with a burst of energy and that alone was enough to capture people’s attention. Now, I am able to stand and speak for some length and it bores the heck out of some people that I am not moving around a little.

You rest on your laurels

I have given a lot of speeches the past few years, so I find myself not spending as much time preparing speeches as I once had. Because of that, I will go in front of audiences with only a few notes or even with nothing if it is a free speech. I have usually thought about what I am going to say, but haven’t written anything down. I have rested on my ability to come up with something appropriate and that is not going to allow me to connect with the audience and deliver a speech that motivates and connect with people.

You stop practicing

This is your and my biggest problem. When I first started speaking, I would practice my speeches for hours. This allowed me to see where I had issues, rewrite, and fully integrate my message into my material. Many of us have stopped practicing as much and we have relied on our experience to get us by in our speeches. This does not allow us to connect, to have a well defined message, and to be ready to motivate people who want to be motivated. We need to practice to get better and without it, it falls flat. I have seen many Toastmasters get up and “wing it.” The flattening of their development speaks to the results of not practicing.

Conclusion

So are you getting worse as a speaker? I am guessing that if you have stopped practicing as much, been resting on your laurels, and are getting to comfortable then you are getting worse. So get back to practicing, writing new material, and getting nervous about speaking. It will get you back into the swing of things and interested in speaking again.

The 3 steps to creating a PowerPoint Diagram

The 3 steps to creating a PowerPoint Diagram

October 7, 2008 by Olivia Mitchell 

When you see that a diagram might be useful to explain the concept you’re talking about - don’t go straight to PowerPoint. Doing this is as bad as trying to design your whole presentation in PowerPoint.

Two things can happen:

1. You try and squish your concept into an unsuitable diagram type.
2. You get caught up in creating the technical aspects of creating the diagram without having a big picture view of how it’s going to work.

I know because I’ve done it. Now I storyboard first on paper.

That way the diagram will be designed to fit the concept, rather than the concept squished into an already existing diagram type.

Here’s an example of the process that I went through for a slide make-over I did recently for a client. First here are the original bullet-point slides:

Step 1 : Visual analysis

The first step is to study the written material to work out how it could be presented visually.

I identified the following ideas which could be presented visually:

• the difference between owning a job and owning a business
• if you own a job, the impact on you if you can’t work
• moving from doing it all yourself to putting in place systems and people

The key visual concept that I came up with was to show the business and the person as virtually the same entity for “owning a job” and to show those entities separating as the person moved to “owning a business”.

Step 2: Storyboard

My next step was to sketch out my ideas for how to show these concepts visually.

Step 3: Create in PowerPoint

Finally I went to PowerPoint and started creating the diagrams. Below is a screencast of the animated slides with my narration:

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After your Toastmasters Number 10 Speech what next?

After your Toastmasters Number 10 Speech what next?

Giving your Number 10 speech is a big deal. But what happens next? I asked Simon Bucknall, President ofExcalibur and twice UK & Ireland International Speech Champion, how we can make the most of the advanced speaking challenge.

What do you remember most about your Number 10 speech?  I gave my number 10 speech in December 2005.  It was a very big moment, very exciting.

I continued working on the speech and gave it in the International Speech Contest.  This took me to the UK & Ireland final and on to Washington so it's a particularly special speech for me.

What did completing the CC teach you?  You get a good grounding working though the CC projects. However, the real journey begins after your number 10 speech. 

I went to Washington to compete in the next round of the 2006 International Speech Contest believing I knew a lot about public speaking.  When I got there I realised I knew very little. 

I met Lance Miller (2005 World Champion of Public Speaking) who explained how much he'd grown since winning the Championship.  A year on he felt he was a different speaker.  This encouraged me to stay in Toastmasters and push myself to achieve more.

I suggest we each ask "what can I learn and how can I develop as a speaker after my number 10 speech?" Every milestone is a new beginning!

What would you recommend as next steps for CCs?  Get straight into working on Advanced Manuals.  If you're lucky enough to live near London take advantage of events such as Toastmasters at Speakers' Corner. And begin to speak in other places - Rotary clubs, Junior Chamber of Commerce etc.

I also recommend joining an Advanced Speakers' Club. Excalibur or the newMarlowe Orators.  Excalibur exists to support Toastmasters who've completed their number 10.  Our flexible programme accommodates longer advanced speeches, mini workshops etc.  Our members, from across London and the South East bring varied experience from their home clubs and you get in-depth evaluations.  Next meeting is on Wednesday 8th October!

You mentioned external speaking opportunities. How can we find them? Darren LaCroix (2001 World Champion of Public Speaking) gives great advice: define the audience, the kind of people you want to talk to. Find out where they gather and offer to speak there free of charge. At trade associations, charities, networking events.  There are plenty of opportunities.

Another option is to give workshops at Toastmasters clubs. Learning to be a good facilitator and workshop leader is as much a part of Toastmasters as giving speeches.  Excalibur provides a forum to try out workshop ideas. The key is learning through doing.  Offer your services to your club and other clubs. You'll broaden your skill as a speaker and a leader.

As we are in the contest season I hear people worrying about getting stale if they rehearse too much.  Do you agree with this? No!  From my post CC experience I realise that if I worry about getting stale I'm more focused on myself and my speech than I am on my audience.  Our job as speakers is to put all our energy into giving the best performance we can for each new audience. That requires preparation, rehearsal, re-scripting... The end result is a fresh and lively performance.

Thank you Simon.

Do You Need to Speak Well to Lead Well?

Posted by chris on Saturday, September 6th 2008   

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6
Sep

The 2008 Democratic and Republican conventions have renewed the debate about the need for better speaking skills. Listening to the recaps, reading the news articles, and having to suffer through partisan talking heads, the core of the issue shines through…does speaking well matter to leadership?

Being a committed Toastmaster, I would say yes. Also, being in corporate America, I would say that speaking well does matter. That isn’t to say that all leaders need to be in Toastmasters, but they at least need to be able to clearly communicate ideas and not just spout off the talking points of the day, rehash the quarterly financial statement, or yell because something has gone wrong. Those things do not a good leader make.

Not to take sides in a partisan battle, but I think that Barack Obama has the edge in speaking. I enjoy the fact that people talk about the power of his oratory. His speeches remind me of politics of the past where people knew what you stood for from your speaking. I also think that no matter who wins, it will leave a lasting impact on the modern political landscape that speaking and speaking well is important.

So no matter what side you take in this election. Think for a moment while watching the candidates in action and ask yourself, does speaking well matter in leadership?

I think you will find that it does.

Implications of Being a DTM

Implications of Being a DTM

Over the past 4 years I have seen some really amazing speakers and some pretty crummy speakers. I can forgive crummy speakers who are working the Toastmasters program. It is easy to assume that a person has worked hard, come far and is still not a great speaker. I can even forgive a bad speaker who has one DTM. The one thing that grinds my gears is a speaker with multiple DTMs, but is still a crummy speaker. Another thing that grinds my gears is a crummy speaker in a major leadership role, with a DTM (or multiple) who stumbles through speaches like a new member. It frustrated me even more when I know speakers in both those situaitons are members of multiple clubs, including an advanced club. It frustrates me to the point of distraction. What has this person been taking away from the program if they speak this way? What has been the point of all those evaluations, every speech being a manual speech and insane number of speaking opportunities if you still stumble through a speech that should be easy for you. 
As a newly minted DTM, I am feeling my own frustrations with other DTMs impact me. I have created, in my mind, an image of what it is to have a DTM and to be working on multiple DTMs. Being a polished speaker before my DTM was easy. I did not feel people would expect me to be a polished speaker. It was a point of pride that I was so polished. Now, I feel my own expectations impacting my current skills. Combine this with my real desire to be better at giving advice rather than telling people what to do. Last night, at my TLI session for presidents, it all hit me a bit. I got visibly nervous. Until I got to this point as a speaker (completing my DTM), I never had this problem. Nerves have not been my problem before. Now I have to work on a new fear- the fear of not living up to people's expectations. Chiefly, this is my own expectations of what it means to be a DTM.
The session went very well last night. I was hyper aware of myself and my communication skills and I don't think I needed to be. I think I did a good job of making sure my ideas didn't come off as "the right way", but as the way that worked for me and my club. I spoke about things I did well, didn't do well, or wish I had a chance to do. I allowed the presidents to ask questions related to their club and I said what I would consider. I tried to make sure I made 'I' comments (I would try this, I think you could consider this). I know my fear, my nervousness was a bit silly. Yet, I have to address it if I want to continue to be a good speaker and improve my communication skills.