What captivating content are you sharing with the masses via your public speaking engagements? Do you have a message the world must hear? Or are you just sharing the latest company update? Either way, if your audience doesn't hear it, you're wasting your time…
Captivate the audience first –
Some speakers tell a joke or lighten up the audience by speaking about some notorious event that happened on 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 Coach, Hugh Liddle, wears a red cap. A stark contrast to the rest of the world, his red cap and winter scarf take the listener off to another place in time. He keeps the listener entertained throughout his training with colorful, punctuating remarks.
When Retail Sales Rep and Team Lead, Bo Mackey pulls up a stool and sits in front of his team, they most likely notice the tatoo on his shoulder (even in winter this man wears sleeveless black shirts) and wonder who the biker dude is, and why he's sitting in front of them. When he walks out of the training room, he pulls off the skull and crossbones do-rag to reveal a shiny bald head and pulls on his gray tweed jacket for the professional look they recognize.
Both men effectively grab their audience's attention. Appearance first. You don't have to do weird things to captivate the audience, but those two options work well.
MaKenna Turley, Sales Rep and Coach, drops her brief case on the floor with a resounding thud and kicks the tag that opens it. Like a jack-in-the box, up pops her podium with her papers neatly arranged on top. The first time I watched her do this, I nearly fell off my chair. The rest of her program was at least that cheesy, but her audience walked away with new knowledge and some great ideas for making their marketing plans profitable.
It's a gimmick. Gimmicks work. Gimmicks attract attention. What can you do that will captivate your audience and compel your attendees to HEAR what you say?
I know speakers who hoop their way through a presentation, and speakers who DRONE, but their audience listens. Whatever you choose to do, it must suit your personal style and appeal to keep your audience's attention. The point is, be original. Be unique. Be different. But BE YOURSELF.
