Audience Connections

Audience Connections Are Key

What do audiences love?
One of the biggest challenges for speakers in this virtual landscape is to remain audience-centered. Many of my clients have the technical aspects of speaking virtually nailed down. The question becomes, how can we make audience connections?

The best way to answer this question is to ask audiences – what would make them “fall in love” with a speaker (not literally, of course!). I spent the last few weeks informally asking this question in many of the virtual groups I belong to. Interestingly, even though the groups comprised of individuals in different fields and industries, their answers were similar and could be applied to both in-person and virtual speaking. The top qualities/skills that audiences want most from speakers include: the ability to tell a good story, authentic in style, interactive with the audience, and providing content that is easily implemented in their work/life. These qualities/skills make great audience connections.

Storytelling. The ability to tell a great story remains at the top of the list as a characteristic that endears audiences to speakers. Stories make an emotional connection with audiences, stories teach audiences, and stories are more memorable than data. Two of the best resources I have found in storytelling are Matthew Dicks book, Storyworthy, and Kindra Hall’s book, Stories That Stick.

Authenticity. Audiences are drawn to speakers who are relatable, who share similar struggles, and who share a bit of themselves in a way that makes them a bit vulnerable. Authenticity is a bit like executive presence – it’s hard to define, but people know it when they see it. Authenticity is the ability to let go of who you think you should be and be fully expressed in who you really are. It takes courage to be authentic on stage.

Interactive. I don’t think it’s any surprise that audiences want speakers to create moments of interactivity. This is particularly important in a virtual setting. Siloed in our home offices, we are craving human interaction. Many virtual platforms offer tools that can help audiences interact with either you or other audience members. In my experience, interactive activities during a presentation are often the highlight for participants during an event.

Practicality. Audiences come to events to learn something new. I studied how to create change in human behavior in my career many years ago. We know that change occurs when the new behavior is easy to do, has a trigger, and is celebrated. Is there some part of your presentation that can be broken down into simple steps for an audience member to implement immediately? If your presentation is heavy with research, have you taken the time to demonstrate how to implement what the research has shown?

There is an essential requirement for becoming a speaker that audiences want to listen to. Knowing what our audiences want fulfills this requirement. It answers the question that all audiences ask, but we sometimes fail to hear: “what’s in it for me?” If you can answer that question, you will effectively make audience connections.