Chapter 2

Connect With Your Audience

It takes two: you and the audience. This chapter talks about the stuff in the middle—the glue, the bond, the connection between speaker and listener. With a plan and lots of ambition, you will have a better understanding of your audience’s point of view. Your audience, in turn, will be ready and willing to accept your message.

9. Know Your Audience

No two audiences are the same. If you do your homework, you will be prepared to design your message for a particular audience. Even if you are delivering your presentation to people you know, don’t overlook these issues:

10. Find an Informant

To discover vital insider information and really be a person in the know, you have to become a sharp detective. But how do you go about it?

First you need an informant. It might be someone in the organization—your contact person. It might be someone who will be in your audience. It might be someone in the personnel department. Find someone who knows the guts of the organization. Some information might not come from a person at all. Explore the news in the community newspaper, the company newsletter, posters on the company walls, plaques, awards—anything that will help you to discover more about your audience.

Here are four discovery questions that will aid in your search:

1. What are three current and important community issues:

2. What are the employees facing in terms of:

3. What are their top two concerns regarding the topic of my presentation?

4. Are there any significant events such as strikes, relocations, mergers, top sales year, birthdays, promotions? ____________

11. Step Into Their Shoes

Take your shoes off. Right here, right now—do it! Yes, that means you. It’s tough to do it, isn’t it? Go ahead. . . . I know, you’re thinking, “Oh gee, she doesn’t really mean me, does she?” Yes, I do. Take your shoes off, and imagine putting on the shoes of your listeners. By physically removing your shoes, you give yourself a physical and mental jolt. That’s exactly what most presenters need when they think about the audience—a giant jolt.

Too many speakers take their message and try to cram it down the throats of their listeners without any regard for those listeners. Do not take that one-way ego trip. Instead, make a connection between your message and the individuals in your audience.

During one of his TV specials the popular country-and-western singer Garth Brooks explained how he prepares for a given audience. Long before his performance, while his team of experts is setting the stage, he hikes up to the top row in the hall and sits in the worst seat in the house. He wants to see things from that ticket holder’s viewpoint. Garth imagines what he will look like on stage—a semiblur of musical magic. He knows the importance of appealing to everyone in his audience. During the performance, it was evident that he was reaching out—with his eyes, with his hands, and with his whole being—to everyone in the audience, those in the cheap seats as well as those in the front row. Many times during the performance, he would lock onto someone’s eyes—especially those of the person sitting in that one very special seat. To Garth, this was his way of telling all the people in the audience that they were important.

Ask yourself the following questions about your audience. They will help you determine whether or not this audience will be receptive to your message.

Figure out the answer to the last question, then go back to the drawing board.

12. Get in Synch With Your Audience

Observe the mood of your audience, and use it to your advantage. One hot morning on the Oregon coast, I attended a conference of meeting planners. After a scavenger hunt, party, and get-aquainted session the night before, this group was already in a semirowdy and ready-to-laugh state. This was a group that convened once a year, and most of the people knew one another well. The people were also highly jovial and outspoken. The speaker was scheduled to give a three-hour session on using humor in the workplace. It was to be the highlight of the educational workshops. Instead, it turned out to be a complete bomb. The speaker didn’t recognize the mood of the group and adapt to it. Instead, when the group laughed, made funny remarks, and asked questions that indirectly poked positive fun at other participants, the speaker took it as a personal attack. She turned cold and disorganized, and even changed her topic in midstream to her “ace” topic: male/female communications. She bombed again. Why? Because she wanted to be the main event. And the audience wanted to be an active, fun, jovial part of the program. The speaker was not in synch, and it made her sink!

To get in synch with your audience, you’ll need to:

13. Become an Insider

An aerospace company manager faced a problem of declining morale in his department. Prior to holding a meeting to discuss the subject, he decided to spend a week working the floor with the first shift. He wanted to get a firsthand view of what the problems were. When he conducted his meeting, he spoke as an insider instead of as a “white shirt” manager. His ideas were met with rousing approval. Many of his subordinates complimented him on being able to get to the root of the problems. Becoming an insider was his ticket to success.

Several years ago I was asked to do a workshop for Nike’s sales managers. I didn’t have much knowledge of the athletic shoe industry, except for the pair of racewalking shoes I wore on my four-mile jaunts. I needed to explore the inner workings of the business, and so I arranged to spend a few days on the road with one of the sales reps. I learned all about crowded shoe storage nooks, too-busy buyers, hectic schedules, no-shows. I used these road stories to liven up my presentation. I could see the added alertness each time I used one of these examples. I could tell by the warm response and interaction after the program that the group really appreciated my attempts at understanding their world.

What can you do to obtain that inside angle? If you don’t have time to physically take on the role, then perhaps you could interview two or three people who are insiders. Use the insiders’ stories and examples in your presentation. Of course, give them credit for providing you with the information. The most important point is that you want to know as much as you can about your topic with as much credibility as possible. Getting close to the action is the best way to go.

14. Activate Their “On” Buttons

What types of subjects ignite that audience spark? First, consider the audience, then think about these possibilities:

For example, if I am appearing before 250 business managers, 50 percent male, 50 percent female, I include as many of the above as I can. Most often, I lean more toward golf stories, family or personal stories, and industry-related material. That is part of my style—my uniqueness. I love to tell those golf stories. Golf is my passion, and an extremely important part of my life. However, there’s nothing more boring to a nongolfer than golf stories. If I know that there are mainly nongolfers in the crowd, I’ll tell only one or two quick golf stories with universal appeal.

Don’t get stuck in a topic rut. I once attended a keynote speech delivered by a Vietnam veteran. The audience was very attentive for the first thirty minutes. His war stories were thrilling and captivating. But he lost the audience for the last half of his presentation. What had started out being interesting became commonplace—the audience needed some more variety, especially something that would relate to their present world. In order to truly connect with your audience, you need to bridge the gap between what you’re saying and those to whom you’re saying it. Put the topic on their laps and give them something to take with them. The audience wants both a simple, clear message and some practical how-to ideas.

15. Enhance Your Charisma Factor

My sister, Judy, is one of the most charismatic people I know. Instantly people are drawn to her. She is likable, lovable, and warm. When I ask audiences to name some charismatic speakers, names like John Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr., and Zig Zigler are often mentioned. What makes these people so special?

Charisma is a magical quality possessed by only a few. However, you can increase your charisma factor by absorbing two important principles:

1. People like people who really like people.

2. People like people who are just like them. Think about being at a party. You’re circulating, but you feel out of place because you don’t know anyone. Then you meet someone who loves trout fishing just as much as you do. Pow! The chemistry starts bubbling. You’re having a good time, and chances are you like this person. You have something in common. “Common ground” is one of the sizzle ideas discussed in Chapter 4.

Besides finding common interests such as background, family, work, or hobbies, get in synch with your audience’s communication patterns. Use the same terms as they do (soda vs. pop, sack vs. paper bag). Match their vocal speed and intensity. For example, the east coast has a much faster “beat” than the South or the west coast.

16. Develop Your OOMPH

Audiences like presenters with OOMPH: One Outstanding Memorable Feature. What makes you different? If you were a product, in what way would you stand out from the competition? Memorable speakers have a special “something” about them. They differ from the norm—in either appearance, style, voice, or message. Let’s take a look at what some presenters have made their personal trademark.

GERRY SPENCE, a famous lawyer, wears a suede, fringed cowboy-type jacket. His hair is also fairly long for a lawyer. JEANNIE ROBERTSON, a humorist, is over six feet tall; she’s also a former Miss North Carolina and a basketball star. Not only does Jeannie have a very striking appearance, but she jokes about her height, her beauty contest experiences, and her basketball memories. She also has a southern accent. JOSÉ EBER, a famous hairstylist, has very long hair and wears a feather on his cowboy hat. In addition, he has a charming accent. SALLY JESSE RAPHAEL, talk-show host, wears large red-rimmed glasses. What can you do to create a one-of-a-kind image?

Some presenters are famous for a particular theme. Ken Blanchard is The One-Minute Manager; Harvey McKay is famous for his book Swim With the Sharks; Wayne Pickering, professional speaker and health expert, is known as “The Mango Man.” What punchy theme can you create for your next presentation?

Style is that magic combination of voice and gestures that is like a presentation fingerprint. Styles can be changed and enhanced. Johnny Carson, a fairly shy person, changed his style to outgoing and funny when he was on stage. Tom Peters also turns up the extrovert meter when he appears before a large audience. Another speaker, who had a heavy New York accent, gained in popularity when he switched from a “middle-of-the-road” to an “in-your-face” style.

17. Reach Into Their Souls

How many presenters have you heard over the years? What do you remember from what was said? If you’re like most people, you don’t remember much. Most presenters fade quickly from our memories. The ultimate connection for any speaker is to have some type of long-lasting effect on the audience. Here are three ways to reach into their souls:

1. Make them think. Wake them up. Say it in a way it’s never been said before. Help them break out of neutral gear. Give them new ideas, new thoughts, or new solutions to an old issue. Keep your message simple and memorable—one sentence that you repeat as your theme throughout your talk.

2. Make them do. Give them the “how to” tools to make the change. Tell them how. Tell them why. Tell them to go do it. If they’re not going to change in some way after your presentation, why bother making it in the first place? Give them a pat on the back. Give them encouragement.

3. Make them laugh. If you can add the element of fun and laughter to your presentation, you’ll experience a very special audience bond. People who laugh together develop a type of hallowed harmony, an energy that reaches way into the gut. Of the three soul-reaching elements, this is the toughest one for most people. It is worth the effort. Start your humor file today. Focus mainly on the fun and funny in your own life. Remember, too, that you can generate lots of laughter without telling a joke. Piggyback on the humorous things people say and do in your session. Poke fun at yourself; poke fun at life’s little disasters.

18. Tame the Troublemakers

A critical part of maintaining the audience bond is being able to handle the group gracefully even when things aren’t going your way. When it comes to handling troublemakers, be a trouble-shooter. Like John Wayne, always be prepared for the ambush. The following are four common types of troublemakers and tips on dealing with them gracefully.

1. Motor-mouths (two people chatting constantly). Walk toward the conversationalists, touch one of the culprits on the shoulder, and ask if he or she has a question. Another way to handle this situation is with . . . silence and direct eye contact.

2. Bumps-on-a-log (people who are unresponsive during audience participation). When asking a question, don’t put anyone on the spot by calling his or her name. Instead, wait patiently for a volunteer. If the audience is reluctant to participate, have them write their response first, then respond orally. This will give them a chance to think, and they’ll become willing participants. Ask them a question in their area of expertise. Sometimes you need to clarify or rephrase the question. If you’re doing activities in small groups, it will help if you shuffle the people occasionally.

3. Snipes (people who are out to “snipe” you with negative comments or questions). Don’t become defensive or argue with a snipe. Let the person air his or her concern. Ask the rest of the audience how they feel about the issue. Usually the audience will pounce on the snipe for you! Or, you can use a two-step escape. First, paraphrase the question or concern (“I hear what you’re saying . . .”). Second, explain your point of view (“It’s been my experience . . .”).

4. Scene-Stealers (people who dominate the session with comments or questions). When the scene-stealer strikes, say, “Let’s get some input from some of the other people.” Physically move away from the person and withdraw eye contact. Look away. This is a powerful signal. The scene-stealer should feel as though his or her flame has just been doused. If the problem persists, talk to the person during the break. Or you can tell the person that you will be available after the session for further discussion. Sometimes I use the time-out signal to stop the action.