What captivating content are you sharing with the masses through your public speaking engagements? Do you have a message that the world needs to hear? Or is he just sharing the latest update from the company? Either way, if your audience doesn’t hear it, you’re wasting your time…
Captivate the audience first –
Some speakers tell a joke or cheer the audience up by talking about some notorious event that happened along the way to speak to them… But there are times when you really don’t have time for the EXTRA stuff that speeches are made of. what do you do then?
Sales Trainer, Hugh LiddleHe wears a red cap. A stark contrast to the rest of the world, his red cap and winter scarf transport the listener to another place in time. She keeps the listener engaged throughout her workout with colorful, on-point commentary.
When Retail Sales Representative and Team Leader, Bo Mackey pulls up a stool and sits in front of his team, chances are they’ll notice the tattoo on his shoulder (even in winter this guy wears sleeveless black shirts) and wonder who the biker guy is and why he’s sitting in front of them . As he leaves the training room, he removes the skull and crossbones bandana to reveal a shiny bald head and dons the gray tweed jacket for the professional look they recognize.
Both men effectively capture the attention of their audience. appearance first. You don’t have to do any weird stuff to captivate your audience, but those two options work just fine.
MaKenna Turley, Sales Representative and TrainerHe drops his briefcase to the ground with a thud and kicks the tag that opens it. Like a box of surprises, his podium appears with his papers neatly arranged on top. The first time I saw her do this, I nearly fell off the meat. The rest of his show was at least that cheesy, but his audience left with new insights and some great ideas for making his marketing plans profitable.
It’s a trick. The cheats work. Tricks attract attention. What can you do to captivate your audience and compel your attendees to LISTEN to what you say?
I know speakers who work their way through a presentation, and speakers who DRONE, but their audience listens. Whatever you choose to do, it should fit your personal style and be engaging to hold your audience’s attention. The point is, be original. Be unique. Be different. Objective BE YOURSELF.