When you speak in public, do you feel like you’re engaged in one-way communication?

It’s not like the give and take of a regular conversation, is it?

Or, is it?

To an extent.

Good speakers are good listeners

Let’s get something out of the way up front. Speaking to an audience is clearly not the same as having a regular chat with your friends, family or peers.

For one thing, they will expect you to do pretty much all of the work.

Your audience usually won’t expect to say much. They will be perfectly happy to let you take that load.

But don’t let that responsibility encourage you to believe that speaking is all about the speaker.

It’s absolutely not. The reverse is true. It’s all about your audience.

If you want your audience to pay attention; you better listen to them.

There’s a good chance you’ll lose your audience’s attention if you:

• Fail to listen to them before speaking (researching your audience, what they need and how what you say can be of value to them),
• Don’t listen to them while you speak

OK, so the first part will make immediate sense. But the second?

How do you listen when speaking?

#1 Care about your audience and your topic

Make it obvious to your audience that you want to be there, you’re passionate about the topic and how what you say can be of value to your listeners.

#2 Engage your audience

Look at your audience and use gestures to pull them into what you’re saying.

If you read your speech or turn your back to your audience, expect them to lose interest in short order.

#3 Look for ways to include them in what you do.

If you have the opportunity and there’s a point to it, find ways to involve your audience when presenting – whether this be through actions and/or words.

Remember, in most cases, the reason you make a presentation or speech is to add value to your audience. And you run the risk of not doing this is you don’t listen.

Over to you

Please share your views and observations.