How to Connect with Your Audience While Speaking - Introvert Whisperer

Introvert Whisperer / How to Connect with Your Audience While Speaking - Introvert Whisperer How to Connect with Your Audience While Speaking Countless eyes and ears on you, all awaiting your next sentence: public speaking is intimidating for anyone, but it can be a downright nightmare for introverts. Most introverts don’t like to be the center of attention and have difficulty feeling connected to their audience, yet giving presentations is often unavoidable as you advance in your career. Luckily, there are several ways to ensure that you connect with the audience and improve your speaking skills so you can give better presentations that resonate with your listeners. Here are just a few tips: Look and act confident Audiences can sense your level of control and authority within a presentation, so it’s important that you project an air of confidence in order to maintain their trust, interest, and attention. If you don’t feel confident in yourself, you certainly aren’t alone; most introverts struggle with their self-esteem, but still need to be able to give off a sense of empowerment to listeners. Fortunately, there are several ways to boost your confidence in order to keep your audience’s attention and faith throughout the presentation. If there’s something specific that brings down your self-esteem, like your appearance or your experience level, it will affect your speech. So, take some time well ahead of the presentation to address it. If there’s something specific about your look that’s lowering your self-image, there are likely several beauty hacks that will fix it. Whether it’s trying a daily prescription to slow male pattern baldness, or using an as-needed concealer to cover blemishes, there are plenty of ways to adjust specific features that might affect your confidence, and thus, your presentation skills so you can deliver the speech with grace. Or, if it’s your experience level that makes you nervous, you should consider investing your energy in ways to enhance your knowledge base and skill set before entering your speech. If you’re able to attend other conferences, meet with coworkers or read up on the latest industry insights, you’ll be able to feel more capable in answering questions and authoritative when speaking which will translate to an engaging, confident presentation. Simplify your speech One of the worst ways to appeal to audiences is using wordy, jargon-fuelled speech in your presentation. It’s important that your writing is succinct and snappy, while still taking into consideration your audience’s level of understanding. It’s a fine balance between using very high-level, technical language and dumbing down your presentation to the point of insulting your colleagues. Consider writing your speech and reading it out loud to a friend, then asking them to relay the main themes of it to you. Did they understand the key takeaways or the points you were trying to make? If not, you should probably work on simplifying some of your language or the structure of your presentation. Don’t be afraid to consult a speechwriting coach if you need a little extra help. They should be able to help you perfect your wording and delivery so that you can keep your audiences attention throughout the whole speech. Pay attention to your body language Nonverbal cues like eye contact, hand gestures and spatial movement can make or break a presentation. Too much and you seem domineering and distracting, too little and audiences lose interest. Strike a balance that captures attention in a subtle, unnoticeable way. Try to pick a few people, spaced throughout the room, to speak to directly during the presentation. Being able to reference the same spots and people will make it much more manageable to maintain eye contact and focus. Bounce between each person every few seconds, and the entire room will feel engaged. Then, be sure you’re using your hands to gesture and support your points. Research has shown that people perceive those who talk with their hands as passionate, honest and engaging. So, use your hands to accentuate important points and build a connection with your audience. Lastly, be sure you’re using the stage to move around. Standing rigidly in one spot can become boring to watch, so it’s important that you’re pacing slightly and slowly across the whole area. Final thoughts Maintaining an air of professionalism, confidence, and relatability while presenting or speaking to an audience can be difficult, but is critical in keeping them engaged. Follow these suggestions to become an effective speaker and ensure your audience stays connected with you and your message throughout the entire speech. 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