An essential part of crafting your message is taking the time to understand your audience and what they want and need. There are some important areas to consider about your audience; however, be careful not to overanalyze. If you are speaking locally, you probably know your audience well. When you begin to travel, it becomes more important to try to understand your audience in more detail.

Among the things you want to try to find out about your audience, if possible, are some basic demographics, for example age, sex, economic status, educational level, ethnicity, religion, political leanings, occupation, and other cultural issues that may affect how they respond to your message. You wouldn’t give a talk on cooking the perfect steak to a group of vegetarians.

You may also want to consider character as you are determining the most appropriate message for your given audience. What values do they hold? How do they feel about the topic you are presenting and can you show them another side of the issue that they might not have considered? Are they deeply religious?

What attitudes and beliefs do you share and where do you diverge? Are there any stereotypes that could be harmful and how will you address them? How much do they know about your subject and can you show them a different aspect of it? Are they familiar with you and how will familiarity—or lack of familiarity—work in your favor? What do they expect and how can you surprise them?

Avoid the temptation to get too bogged down in the audience, however. Keep it simple. Some coaches will tell you that you need to know the break down of the audience to the nth degree. Not true. You generally need just a basic understanding of the top line issues important to your crowd unless you are speaking to a target industry or group.

Sometimes it is just as important that you know how to not to offend the audience as it is for you to know how to please them. Know what risks you can take and what is appropriate and inappropriate. For example, when I speak to a group of teenagers I’m much less formal than when I am speaking to a group of business people. My humor is different with each group.

It’s also important to remember the 2/96/2 rule. If you give a clear, thoughtful speech, 2 percent of the audience will think you are the best speaker they ever heard. Another 2 percent will think you are the worst speaker they ever heard. Do not place too much value in either of these opinions. Rely instead on the 96 percent who will give you legitimate feedback and who will, over time, help you to become a more effective speaker.

And remember of course that the audience wants you to succeed! No one enters a meeting saying, “I hope this speaker stinks. I love being bored.” Except for a few deranged members of the crowd, the vast majority wants you to make it.

1: The Call To Speak This is the majority of beginning speakers. You’ve been told that you’re going to speak. The boss says you’re the one, so you are on deck. Maybe your service club, church, or other organization wants you to give a talk at a meeting. The tough thing about being told to speak is that it often comes with a generic subject: “Just get up and share a little bit.” This can be intimidating, but it’s actually a wonderful opportunity. The invitation comes to you because those asking believe that you have something beneficial to share. So begin by looking at your life and seeing what unique experiences you have that can be of value.

2: Your Passion Do you have an internal fire to get your message out? Maybe you want to speak about a political issue, or how to get over anxiety, or how to lose weight, or how to close more sales. Is there a topic that you feel you must speak about?

3: Your Knowledge Do you possess some specialized information that others could benefit from knowing? Are you an expert in a field?

4: Your Know-How People love to learn from another’s experience, especially if it will save them time and trouble. Don’t sell yourself short on this issue. It is your greatest resource for topics. You might think you are not interesting, or that you are not special—this is not true. Each person’s experience is unique and has the ability to teach another. It can literally be any subject that you have experienced and others will learn from. For example: If you have bought a car you could go to a dealership and share your pleasant or unpleasant experience in a talk designed to help the sales force improve their technique.

5: A Desire To Learn More There may be a subject that you would like to know more about. Study and research the subject, then take your findings and design a talk.

Your purpose is the ONE concept you want to communicate—one phrase, one sentence—that sums up the talk. Decide what is the one idea that you want the audience to remember even if they forget all else.

Remember that your audience wants to

• Know that they will be changed for the better for having listened to you; they want something that will alter their lives.

• Gain information that will enable them to make it through the next day with success.

• Know that they are not wasting their time.

• Believe that if they miss your message they could miss something major.

• Know that what you present is relevant and applicable.

• Be confident that the talk will be entertaining and engaging.

• Learn something they didn’t know.

• Be affirmed in something they did know.

According to Tony Jeary, author of Inspire Any Audience, people want to belong, to be respected, to be liked, to be safe, to succeed, to find romance, to be inspired. While your talk can’t fulfill all of their dreams, you may be able to help unlock some of the things that have been blocking them, simply by sharing your own experiences honestly. That is the power of speaking with true purpose. A successful speaker is able to plug into these basic human desires through the content in his or her message and hammer it home with points and proof.

Irrefutable Law of Speaking:

If You Don’t Know the Purpose of the Message,

You Can’t Expect the Audience To Gain Any Specific Value.

On an elementary level there are four possible purposes of any speech: to inform, instruct, persuade, or entertain. Those are basic concepts that anyone can accomplish. You need to pursue the purpose of your talk on a deeper level.

Your purpose will be communicated through the topic, the audience, and the intended outcome.

audience has finished listening.”

- Dorothy Sarnoff

Public Speaking Myths

Myth #1: “I’ve got to be the best.” I used to live by this myth. My mind would tell me to forget about speaking. If I couldn’t be the best, there was no use stepping on stage. But that changed. I decided to take a slightly different approach. Instead of being the best, I wanted to focus on improvement. I knew that every event, every speaking engagement, offered me the opportunity to improve over my last attempt. When I stopped competing against an ideal and worked instead toward a goal of honing my strengths and overcoming my weaknesses, I wasn’t so daunted by speaking. I began to enjoy the process.

The truth is that you only have to be the best you that you can be. Don’t fall into the speaker trap of thinking more about yourself than about your audience.

Myth #1 comes into play when your thoughts are “I hope they like me,” “I hope I don’t mess up,” or “I hope I don’t freeze.

Are any of those phrases about the audience?

Myth #2: “I’ve got no business speaking to this group? I’m not an expert on anything.” Wrong. You’re an expert on your experiences and interpretations of life. Go to the bookstore and browse. There are thousands of people making millions of dollars based on their opinions. They simply know how to communicate their personal know-how.

The ONLY thing you HAVE to do is have a definite purpose for your message and allow everything you say to support it.

You should start with three simple goals:

1. Communicate with Purpose:

You never want to step in front of any group without a clearly carved purpose. Each effective talk has one. It is the narrowed subject. It is the one sentence you want every person to walk away with. It is the phrase that relates to every point, illustration or story.

Every speech needs to be able to be distilled into a single sentence that you can tell anyone at any time. It is the backbone of your talk and it will allow you to make every phrase count in your talk. Knowing this one focal point will make it easy to eliminate any elements of your talk that will not support it.

2. Communicate with Passion:

If nothing else, the people you present to must know that you believe in what you say.

Passion is energy of the spirit. It is what fuels us when we think we cannot continue. This energy source forces us to share our message because we know we will be incomplete if we don’t. Passion says that others will be incomplete if they do not hear the message within us.

Passion is contagious. Not only does passion fuel us, it fuels others. Haven’t you been around someone who was so excited that before you knew it you were excited, too? When you learn to communicate with passion, others will not only believe what you say, they will feel what you feel, and will be compelled to do what you do.

3. Communicate with Precision:

A talk can be like throwing grain to the hens, or it can be like a laser during eye surgery. If you throw grain, the hens will get stuffed, but there is a great deal of waste as well. If your message is like a laser it will waste no effort and everyone will leave with clear vision.

So let’s get to it. You are about to learn how to forge an unforgettable message even if the crowd doesn’t take notes.

You probably have a clear mental picture of what you do and do not want to be as a speaker. Maybe you have spoken for years and want to become more precise. Or perhaps you have a desire to teach but really don’t know where to begin.

Begin by honestly looking at your strengths and weaknesses. What are your natural speaking strengths, areas in which you feel confident? List four or five. Conversely, you need to know where you have room for improvement. Which aspects of great communication are not natural for you? Again, list four or five.

How can you work on sharpening those skills you already possess while working to hone new skills? That’s what this book will help you to do.

Speaking of Goals

Write out the perfect picture you have in your mind of what a perfect speech or lesson would be.

Describe audience’s faces and body positions:

What do you see in their eyes?

What will their reaction be at the end?

What will they say to you as they exit?

They talk about topics you want to hear The title alone may be enough to draw you in and want to attend. But whatever the subject is, you want to hear about it. You know it will change your life in some way. You know that you will be different, better, because of it.

Their voices draw you in No, you don’t have to have a perfect speaking voice, but there are certain voices that draw us. Maybe it’s the caring tone, or the depth, or the confidence. Whatever it is, these people lack annoying vocal qualities that can be turn-offs and they have developed strong, clear, lively speaking voices.

Your personalities may be similar A person that we like to hear often resembles our personal style. If we are humorous then we like to hear someone funny over someone dry. If we are more serious and reflective we like to listen to people with those same qualities. Now, while you can’t be all things to all people, you can develop an ability to pay attention to your audience and connect with them on common points. Watch what they respond to and give them more when you see that they seem to enjoy some aspect of your manner—humor, empathy, excitement. Remembering that you’re talking to people and checking in with them often can give great energy to your presentations

Their points are relevant to your life We want “walk-away” value. In other words we want to be able to exit the building with some knowledge or idea that can be useful to our lives right now. We want to be able to apply it on the spot. We want to see measurable differences when we apply the principles they discussed.

A speaker that can address our problems and present a solution captivates us. Everyone seems to be looking for the “secret” that will propel his or her life into bliss. The speaker that provides relevant points (secrets) will always bring in a crowd.

Their stories make you smile, or cry, or experience some other emotional response Advertisers have taught for years that people “Buy on emotion, and justify with facts.” In a presentation, the points are the facts and the illustrations are the emotion. The illustrations, stories, can bring home a point more powerfully than a list of true, yet sterile, facts.

A speaker who tells a great story not only keeps the attention of the crowd, but also connects with them. We believe and trust information that touches both our minds and our hearts more than that which only touches our minds.

Head stuff can seem cold, somewhat antiseptic. Someone who pours his or her message into our hearts causes us to learn and act.

They use props and other visual aids A prop is anything that that can be used to illustrate a point in order to help the audience retain the message. Anything can be used: overheads, media forms, objects. The best communicators know how to use visual aids to add value and never to distract from the purpose.

They make you feel like you are the only one in the audience Usually this is a combination of two things: eye contact and relevance.

Regarding eye contact, you cannot, of course, look at one person throughout the presentation, but you can connect through your eyes. When other people can see our eyes, we create a bond of likeability and trust.

As for relevance, when someone speaks about a subject that we are personally dealing with we feel that the speaker knows us. Somehow they were able to peer into our lives, witness our problems, and offer a solution.

They are real Bill Hybels, pastor of Willow Creek Community Church, says, “People do not expect you to be perfect. They do expect you to be authentic.”

Authenticity and genuineness are like magnets, while a person we perceive as phony repels us. Why? Because most people peg speakers as ego-bound. When a presenter who is humble and real steps forward, the contrast appeals to us.

They speak in conversational tones With all crowds, but especially when you are teaching a younger group it is a must to talk to them. A conversational speaker attracts us much more than a formal, more detached, one.

Have you ever enjoyed talking with someone one-on-one only to find that this person’s voice and behavior changed completely when he stepped up to the platform to speak? You want your speech from the podium to be just as real and confident as your speech from the next chair.

They talk to you, rather than down to you I readily admit that I am not a genius, but that doesn’t mean I want someone to make me feel inadequate or foolish. The best speakers compliment their audiences by talking on an educated level without using jargon or other terms that leave people feeling out of the loop.

Your Favorite Speaker

Write down the name of your favorite speaker:

What does he or she do that you love so much?

What is different about that person than the average speaker you hear?

They don’t want to be. They don’t even know they are boring. But they are.

Someone, somewhere, at some time said, “Hey why don’t you teach this class?” Or, “How about giving an after-dinner talk at our club?”

That’s how it started, and ever since they have been talking on and on and on, much to the regret of the audience.

No one has the heart to ask them to stop. And everyone else is too afraid to step up to the microphone for fear that they may become the next bearer of dry words.

That might sound harsh. It may not be proper to voice out loud, but it is true. And that’s why you are reading this right now. You don’t want to be that person. You don’t want to be dull. You want people to smile when they hear that you will be speaking. You want people to anticipate and look forward to your presentation.

What Can Block Your Message?

Listening to a speaker whose good message is lost in poor techniques is like being given a precious diamond wrapped in burlap: You don’t appreciate the value of the jewel because the presentation impedes your vision. You want your listeners to hear the heart of your message; you want your passion to show through. But how can you block your own good ideas and how can you allow your message to shine through?

Usually a combination of factors keeps your audience from truly hearing your message, but here are some of the most common.

A monotone voice A voice that fails to vary in pitch will not only hides the value of your message, but it will also lull a crowd to sleep. As we communicate it’s nice to imagine that what we have to say is of such value no one would dare miss a word. Unfortunately, that’s only imagination; you must also take care to present the ideas with energy.

Lack of clear focus No matter the audience, they all seek the same thing—life-changing information that can be applied immediately. Yet, we have all heard someone who talked for an hour and had nothing to say.

I once purchased a recording of a talk tTwo months ago I bought a tape that promised “104 Ways to Boost Your Creativity.” When it arrived, I ripped open the package and popped it my car cassette player.I eagerly anticipated listening to it, but didn’t get quite the experience I was expecting. The presenter said, “I have a microphone positioned in the aisle. Let’s use this period to let you share some creative ideas you have had.” Not only was I disappointed at the lack of information. The speaker didn’t speak, and the tape journeyed from point to point with no connection, no direction.

Rambling Rambling is fine for tumbleweeds, but not communicators. These people go round and round, where they’ll stop no one knows (Although everyone hopes they will stop, and soon!)

Ramblers tell stories not associated with the topic. One thing reminds him of another until even the speaker is lost. “Where was I” is a common phrase for the rambler. When coupled with a monotone voice this presenter can set a record for losing a crowd’s attention.

Lack of facial expression Deadpan, expressionless speakers bore us because many of us believe that our emotions should be worn not on our sleeves but on our faces. When someone we want to see enters the room, we smile. When a funny joke is told, we laugh. When our team scores, we cheer. All of these events are filled with expression.

A person who speaks and remains expressionless tells the audience that the subject is not interesting. She says by her appearance that the topic is not worth getting physically worked up over. He says by a lack of facial expression that the topic does not move him enough internally to move him externally.

No passion Passion is contagious. A speaker who is excited about the subject can make even the least interesting topic engaging. Of course, the most exciting topic in the world can be reduced to a yawn with a passionless presenter.

I like to think of passion as energy of the spirit. It is internal electricity that lights up our bodies. When we have passion about a topic it shows. Others can’t help noticing and being drawn into our excitement.

Failing to consider your audience How much we like and care about a subject doesn’t matter if our audience isn’t interested. That does not mean that we can’t take a subject that a group might think is dull and make it interesting. (The Prayer of Jabez sold millions of copies and it was taken out of a seemingly boring list of genealogies.)

However, as a preacher friend of mine learned, it is tough to keep a crowd through thirteen weeks of “Small Creatures of the Old Testament.” As a speaker, your responsibility, your duty, is to understand your audience and their needs well enough to choose a topic that they will find timely, useful, and inspiring.

Slouchy appearance How we look when we speak is important. A later section in this manual will cover personal appearance in more detail. For now it is enough to remind you that the first impression you make is nearly always visual, and that the more you can do to convey energy and enthusiasm for your subject the more likely your audience is to go along with you. Your energy, your posture, and your body language can begin to engage your listeners before you speak the first word. Your appearance should say that you care about yourself and the message you have to deliver.

Unvarying speech patterns Slow talkers can put us to sleep, as can fast talkers. Our brains are designed for rapid assimilation of information, but we need sound cues to tell us when to pay attention. When details come in a sluggish rate our minds become bored. When they come at too rapid a rate, we tune out. There is not enough to keep the brain active in either case. Our brains shut down, causing us to fall asleep or daydream.

Stretching ten minutes of information into an hour. Some people follow the adage “Tell them what you are going to tell them. Tell them. Then tell them what you told them.”

Others follow: “Tell them what you are going to tell them. Tell them. Tell them again . . . and again . . . and again . . . and again . . . and again . . . and again . . . and again.” And by the time they get to the conclusion everyone has tuned out mentally.

If you only have twenty minutes of information, then only speak for twenty minutes. There is no reason to continue when nothing new or fresh is being presented.

Reading instead of speaking Only the extremely talented can get away with reading their presentation. Combine reading with monotone, or an expressionless face, and you have a solid tranquilizer recipe.

The entire talkEverything does not have to be memorized. A nice outline will serve you well. But a word-for-word manuscript read aloud will rarely be forgiven.

Insufficient eye contact

Eyes are the windows of the _________. (Did you put soul in the blank?)

We do not trust people who will not look at us in the eye. We think they are hiding something. When a child does something wrong we tell him to look us in the eye and tell the truth. We believe that we can look at the eyes and determine just how honest a person is being with us. It’s the same when we speak. The audience weighs our words by our eyes. If they’re shifty, they think we’re shifty. If our eyes avoid contact, listeners think we are avoiding the truth.

Annoying physical habits We all have something we do physically that is repetitive and potentially distracting. An audience—especially a young audience—picks up on these things. Do you know a speaker who seems to constantly push his glasses back up on his nose? A lady who slips her shoe on and off as she speaks? Someone who jingles his keys or change in his pockets? Someone who uses the same gesture pattern over and over?

These attributes not only divert our attention, they drive us crazy! Amazingly, most of these things could be alleviated if someone would speak up and tell us about our repetitive physical actions. However, since most people are a bit shy about telling us things that they think we don’t want to hear, we often have to take the initiative to ask others what about our speech patterns distract them. It’s useful—and humbling—exercise.

What Turns You Off—And On?

Think about your least favorite speaker. What is it that disturbs you so much? What makes you unable to listen? What distracts you?

Whatever you listed, or whatever came to mind . . . don’t do it. Be conscious of your communication skills and vow not to repeat the mistakes you have seen in others. Seek to develop techniques that will make you a successful communicator. Model yourself after good speakers you admire. You don’t want to mimic them, but you can decide how to make their techniques useful to your style.