Two days later she finally admitted that “Watching that entire presentation was equal to water-boarding and I CRINGED while watching it.” My motto is: ‘If you can’t sit through it, why should they?’ I am now her speaking coach and I am happy to say that we are still friends. If you are an expert that has to speak; then learn to be a speaking expert that keeps your audience engaged. Here are 5 guidelines (not rules) to get you started: 1. Get to know YOUR audience Take a moment to get to know your audience. Notice that I did not write that the audience GETS TO KNOW YOU! That should happen before you start speaking. Start off by talking about the company; asking questions about the city or organization; or telling a story. A great speaker talked about the crazy cab ride and the bad driver that he experienced on his way over to the event. He then asked the audience was that normal; the responses set up some great laughs. 2. STOP TALKING! START ENGAGING! At least 30% of your talk should be about audience participation! This means that if your presentation is 1 hour; then your audience should participate for at least 20 minutes and you should speak for 40 minutes. I always tell my audience that I hope they have on comfortable shoes because we have work to do. This let’s them know that they will be a part of the event. 3. Stories STICK the point Most people remember the story of The Boy Who Cried Wolf, and they also remember the point of the story; however, they probably have not heard the story since they were a child. If you are following the 70/30 rule then you have about 40 minutes to use. 70% of that should be STORIES that will get your point across. People will remember your points if you put them in a story. Before you start your story, tease the audience into listening with a Teaser Point; then tell the story to bring the point home; finally repeat the point. 4. Pepper in Participation Your audience wants you to succeed, but more importantly, they want to be successful. If your audience participates in the speech then they will feel like they are invested in its success. Sprinkle audience participation throughout your presentation rather than in just one QA section in order to achieve a truly successful speech. There are several ways that you can do this: i. Ask for feedback during the presentation ii. Create group activities iii. Create phrases that your audience can complete iv. Questions/Answers — See #5 5. NEVER close with QA! NEVER! NEVER EVER! My friend, Craig Valentine always closes with a point or story. Your talk should have an overriding premise that is foundational to every story, point, and activity within your speech. Your speech should end with a story that solidifies the overriding premise of your talk. If you end with a story people will remember why they came to hear you speak. Your goal as a speaker is to get the audience to invest in your success. Engaging the audience through participation gives them ownership in the speech and you are more likely to be successful. Find below a 1 hour Guideline to an Engaging Speech. Remember: This is JUST A GUIDELINE. You should not get to the 15 minute mark and say “Ok now it is time for 5 minutes of participation”. 1 Hour Speech Guideline: - 05 minutes — Getting to know you or opening story - 10 minutes — Point Teaser, Story, and Point - 05 minutes — Participation - 10 minutes — Point Teaser, Story, and Point - 05 minutes — Participation - 10 minutes — Point Teaser, Story, and Point - 05 minutes — Participation - 05 minutes — QA - 05 minutes — Closing Story