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If you’ve been a public speaker for any length of time, you’ve probably run into the kind of audience that really forces you to be on your toes. I can’t really name any one industry or type of audience because it really depends on many factors as to whether you’ll be speaking to a tough audience or not.

Speaking to a tough audience

I’ve spoken to an audience at 8:00 in the morning on the last day of a conference, after the group had a huge party the night before. Normally this might be a perky crowd. But since half of the room was nursing a hangover and were ready to go home, I really had my work cut out for me.

I’ve also spoken to groups that were expecting an academic type of lecture, when my style is far from being a lecture. I heard someone whisper “She didn’t have any charts and graphs”.

Ease the pain of a tough audience

Though you can’t always predict what an audience will think of you or what they will expect from you, there are ways to ease the pain a little.

Use humor

You can’t go wrong when you use a little humor, especially if it’s directed at yourself. Even the toughest audiences don’t want to sit through a boring speech. A laugh is usually something that’s shared between friends, like a meal. If you want to get the audience on your side, say something funny that relates to them. Let them see your personality and they’ll be more receptive to what you’re saying.

Know your audience

Find out as much information from the meeting planner as you can beforehand about the people you’ll be speaking to. If I had known I would be speaking to an academic crowd, I could have at least thrown a few charts and graphs into the mix. I wouldn’t have had to change my style, but could have put in a few things that they wanted.

Know your material

The worse thing is to have an audience ask you questions you can’t answer. Make sure you know your material inside and out to the point that no question would stump you. If you have a highly intellectual crowd they will want to dig deeper into a subject, which means you should have vast knowledge about your topic. After all, they hired you for your expertise, so know it well. This includes case studies and the latest information on it.

Establish your expertise right off the bat

A tough audience will expect you to be the expert on your topic. Let them know quickly what your background is and why you’re there to speak to them about your topic. I’ve given a speech to a group of rocket scientists – yes, rocket scientists, and I had to start off by saying I knew absolutely nothing about their field, but what I did know about was inventing, since I am an inventor. And that’s what I was there to talk about.

If you assume that every audience is going to be tough, you’ll be better prepared to handle it.

master of ceremonies

So, you’ve done keynote speeches and breakout sessions. But are you qualified to be a master of ceremonies? The master of ceremonies is basically the person that keeps the event moving and sets the tone. They act as the official host. Quite often this position goes to a comedian.

According to Wikipedia, the term originated from the Catholic Church, where the MC is an official of the papal court. The MC organizes and rehearses the rituals of the mass and makes sure everything runs smoothly. They are also expected to double as a security guard. Somehow I can’t quite picture Jim Carey in that position.

The Master of ceremonies of a conference or other type of live event is also the person that makes sure everything runs smoothly. They have to please the audience, the speakers, and the meeting planners and make them all shine. Like a comedian, the MC is responsible for warming up the audience and setting the tone for the event. Is it serious or lighthearted?

If you think you have what it takes to be an MC, here are some tips to keep everyone happy:

Have the facts memorized and improvise the rest. One reason comedians tend to work as MCs is because you have to think on your feet. If you screw something up, you have to be able to fix it on the spot and joke about it. Relax and have fun and the audience will have fun with you.

Make the speakers shine. Your job is to prep the audience and get them excited about the next speaker who will be on stage, whether it’s the CEO of the corporation putting on the event or a motivational keynote speaker. Showcase them in the best light possible and make each one feel special. They will thank you for it.

Be in the moment and be a good listener. The biggest laughs always come from something spontaneous. Interact with your audience and work off of what they give you. Be observant of your environment and use it. Take a funny comment and run with it.

Even though the MC isn’t the star of the show, they have a very important role to perform and their personality does set the tone of the event. Not all speakers qualify for the position, but if you do, you have greatly expanded the number of jobs available to you as a speaker.

The speaking industry is similar to Hollywood. Too many people chasing too few jobs. But, just like Hollywood, there’s a reason why you have no competition as a speaker.

After looking at a list of several speakers bureaus, I found that the average number of motivational speakers each one had was between 100-200 for that category alone. And I counted over 100 speaker’s bureaus in the U.S. That sounds like a lot of speakers. But when you consider that there are thousands of meetings and conferences that go on each year, suddenly the odds get a little better. There are still not enough decent paid speaking jobs to go around, but you can increase your odds as a public speaker.

Competition as a speaker

Pick a niche no one owns

Speaker Dr. Brene Brown has spent 12 years studying and researching the topic of vulnerability. Her list of speaking topics all reflect variations of that topic. I can’t say that I have ever heard of another speaker who speaks on vulnerability. She found a niche no one else was pursuing and she is definitely an expert. She stands out by going down a different path from everyone else. Sally Hogshead did a 3 year study on the topic of fascination. She not only wrote a book about it, but she has a slew of products, from books to a fascination advantage test. When her name comes up you know exactly what she speaks about and no one else can claim that.

Use your background

No one on the planet has exactly the same background you do. That includes your nationality, education, resume, family history, job skills, personality, and style. How can you use all of these or a combination of them to stand out in a crowd of speakers who are all speaking on the same topic?

Know more about your niche than anyone

Would you rather hear a speaker who has read some books on leadership or one who lead a disability group to the Mt. Everest base camp (then went on to be the first person with one arm to reach the summit) like Gary Guller? A speaker who has taken some leadership seminars or someone like Sir Richard Branson, a true leader who now has over 400 businesses under his control? Though most people can’t compete with Richard Branson or climb to the top of Mt. Everest, you can dominate your niche and know more about it than anyone.

So, the next time you fret about keeping up with your competition as a speaker, take a deep breath and realize there is only one “you”. Challenge yourself, not to compete with all the other speakers in the world, but to compete with yourself.

Speaker couldn’t speak

As a speaker, we’re hired based on our ability to communicate. Our words pour out from the stage and educate, inspire, and affect those sitting in the audience. For a speaker, having a “voice” is everything. But what if that voice was taken away? I don’t mean figuratively, but literally. As a speaker, how would you handle it? What if a speaker couldn’t speak?

Cognizant Technology Solutions

Last month I had the honor of sharing the stage with one of the most amazing and inspiring speakers I’ve ever met, Cynthia DiBartolo. We were in Atlanta for the Cognizant Technology Solutions conference, which was held at the Jimmy Carter Museum. There were roughly 100 Fortune 500 executives and CEOs from Coca Cola, AT&T, etc. The topic was innovation and there were 4 keynote speakers who spoke about innovation from a different perspective. (more…)

business speaker

To be good at what you do, you should watch what others do. As a speaker I like to see everything, even the worst speakers because I can always learn from them. So, when I run across a really good speaker I feel like I can learn even more.

I did happen to see a good speaker who is also in my industry. I found him because I was curious to see who the company ended up hiring. After being in the running for the job I wanted to check him out. After seeing his video I could see why he was picked.

What makes a good speaker?

I’m not one who is impressed by all sizzle and no steak. So to be great, in my opinion, you have to have both. I’m not dazzled by BS, but like to hear great, unique information delivered well.

I quickly realized that this guy had done his homework. He had years of experience in the industry and had written a couple of books on the topic as well. He also knew his audience and it showed.

I’ve paid to see $25,000 speakers that I thought would also have great information delivered well and was very disappointed. Like I said, I’m not one who is dazzled by BS. (I’ve been in Hollywood too long) So, when someone is an A list speaker because they have a good publicist, yet falls short in the information department I feel cheated.

The first guy wasn’t on the A list. I had never heard of him. And I don’t think he is in the $25,000 speaker category. But if the two were side by side he would have blown the A list dude out of the water.

By seeing both of these speakers it really helped me to see what I needed to improve on. It also gave me some confidence that just because someone makes the big bucks, doesn’t mean they are better. I’ve worked in casting offices and I can tell you that is definitely not always the case.

Like I always say “You can learn something from everyone”.

You’re contacted by a meeting planner and you’re scheduled to deliver a speech on a topic you know like the back of your hand. You’re the expert in that topic and you know you can deliver a great, educational and inspirational speech about the topic. But is it really what the audience needs to know? Just because you know the topic well doesn’t automatically mean you’re able to connect with the audience.

connect with the audience

I learned this lesson the hard way. After speaking to a human resources group on a topic I knew well and was an expert in, I left thinking it was the best I had ever delivered the speech and the information was well researched. It was delivered in an entertaining and educational way and ended right on time. I would have given the presentation a 10.

Unfortunately I didn’t think about the fact that I come from a very different world and had no idea what a human resource employee goes through every day. I’ve never been in that position and dealt with the issues they deal with on a daily basis. So my idea of what they needed was completely different from the truth. These are the things you learn from getting feedback. I hadn’t taken the time to get to know them and their needs. I wasn’t able to step into their shoes and I didn’t really know what they needed to know. So, the next time I spoke to a human resource group I made sure to do my homework and it made a huge difference.

Here are 3 ways you can connect with the audience:

(more…)

If you’re working as a speaker, you must be an expert at something. But what makes someone an expert? Does writing a book make you one? I could write a book about scuba diving. In fact, I could write a whole series of books about scuba diving, but it’ll never make me an expert.

expert speaker

I have a crazy theory that you should have actually put in a certain number of years into practice that which you claim to be an expert in. My doctor’s been practicing medicine for 30 years, but he’s never written a book. I would call him an expert.

The trifecta for speakers

But I’m not the one who makes the decision to hire speakers. And having a book and being high profile does appeal to plenty of meeting planners. Of course, if you have the experience and a book and you’ve gotten a lot of press, you’re way ahead of the game. (more…)

Sponsorship 2013

Sponsorship is proving to be one of the bright spots in an otherwise gloomy and volatile economy. An annual review from IEG predicts a 5.5 percent increase by North American companies in 2013 over the previous year. To break it down in numbers that’s approximately 13.79 billion.

Create brand loyalty with sponsorship

The reason for this is that sponsorship is one of the best ways to create brand loyalty and stand out from the competition. As advertising branches off into more niche markets, and multi platforms and channels, sponsorship is going to play an bigger role than ever. Sponsors want to be able to focus on their targeted market in new and different ways. They want to get up close and personal with their customers and let them know they are appreciated. Being able to target their needs and wants in person assures that they are getting the message.

Sponsorship 2013 – more value

For the entity looking for sponsorship they are going to have to create more value for the dollar. This really isn’t a big surprise, as sponsorship has been evolving and becoming more sophisticated through the years. It’s actually good news for the rights holders who are willing to go the extra mile.

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Speaking to a Tough Audience

Speaking to a tough audience

Ease the pain of a tough audience

Use humor

Know your audience

Speaker Jobs – Master of Ceremonies

Why You Have No Competition as a Speaker

Competition as a speaker

Pick a niche no one owns

Use your background

Know more about your niche than anyone

What if a Speaker Couldn’t Speak?

Speaker couldn’t speak

Cognizant Technology Solutions

When You See a Good Speaker, Don’t Get Jealous, Get Better

What makes a good speaker?

3 Ways a Speaker Can Connect With The Audience

Being an Expert in Your Speaking Career

The trifecta for speakers