Like a fisherman, a professional motivational speaker needs to set the hook quick and firm in their audience before losing it to indifference and boredom. If you don’t have a method to engage your audience quickly – newsflash – you won’t be in high demand at all. Further newsflash, you won’t make much money and likely will have an expensive hobby rather than a career.
This is critical stuff!
Speaking of Success has a few tips for hooking an audience that works.
Make friends with the space. Arrive early enough to see what the physical setup of your speaking space will be, preferably before even the audience gets there. This gives you time to ask for changes if there’s something that might inhibit your performance. Like a basketball coach reviewing the game before it’s played, you need to strategerize before taking the stage.
Another tactic is to interact with the audience ahead of time. That way you’re not an unknown. At least some of the people there will feel they know you and be rooting for you to succeed.
Face it. A little bit of weirdness goes a long way towards engaging an audience. Doesn’t matter whether they’re three-piece-suiters or junior high students, it’s hard to stay aloof from the proceedings when the guy or girl on stage is going bonkers every once in a while. Try absolute silence. Laying down on the floor for a nap. Changing characters. Entering from the back of the room in boxing garb like Rocky Balboa. Make up whatever else you like. Different strokes for different folks. The point is a professional motivational speaker does what he must to involve the audience in the topic at hand.
The Speaking of Success Team
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