Public Speaking: The Importance of Audience Participation

The mere thought of public speaking brings forth many fears in a person, chief of which is how do I really get this group to listen to me? Looking at a large group can create fear in the minds of most public speakers. This results in either too fast or too soft a speech without any variation, which ultimately puts off the audience. 

The Art of Public Speaking is all about engaging the audience and having them eat out of your hands (figuratively, of course). If you want to engage your audience, it is important that you speak to them. The first step to do this is to identify the cheerleaders of the group. No matter how large your group is, you will definitely have a few cheerleaders, who are either leaning forward, nodding their heads or indicating in some way that they are interested and listening. Identifying such people and engaging them in a conversation will help the others understand that you are actually talking to them and will make them participate more.  

Good public speaking is all about getting your audience to ask questions. Questions that are asked while you are making your speech will not only help you engage the audience but will also declare that your audience is indeed listening to what you are saying. However, it is important that you identify where in the presentation your audience can ask questions, remember you control the room. Make sure that the rest of the audience has actually heard the question by making the person repeat it. Answer the question clearly and briefly, making sure that the audience has understood your answer. You can keep this brief by stating that more questions are welcome either at the end of the session or through private contact.  

Engaging your audience in a variety of exercises, both oral as well as written, can actually help in speeding up the learning experience and also encourage participation. Successful public speaking is where the audience relates to each other as well as to the speaker by communicating. So, as the speaker, you need to plan various activities to make it all happen.  

Working with different public speaking groups will help identify various activities that you can put to use in your presentations.

So, do not wait any more. Go ahead and use these simple public speaking tips to take control of your audience.