Distracted Listeners ?

This article was reproduced from "Speaking in Public with J.A.", a FREE electronic magazine authored by J.A. Gamache, International Inspirational Speaker. To subscribe to his FREE e-zine or to find out more about his presentations, visit: http://www.jagamache.com.

HOW TO RE-FOCUS THE ATTENTION OF DISTRACTED LISTENERS
by J.A. Gamache
Third place Champion at the 2001 Toastmasters International World Championship of Public Speaking

Although you may be an energetic and interesting speaker, it's still normal to lose the attention of some of your listeners. To remedy this situation, plan to include in your presentation some attention-getting elements that will pull in absent-minded audience members. In other words, make your crowd react regularly. There are many ways to make a room react. I find that I can snap out of my daydreaming if a speaker uses one of the following methods:

1- LAUGHTER When I hear everyone laugh, I stop daydreaming and ask my neighbor what the speaker said. After that, I'm on the edge of my seat so I don't miss the next joke.

Since almost everyone likes to laugh, inject humour into your presentation when it's appropriate. The more laughter you get from your presentation, the more you motivate your audience to listen.

2- MOVEMENTS OF OTHER AUDIENCE MEMBERS When everyone around me starts to move, it obviously gets my attention. I ask my neighbor what's happening and the person explains that the speaker has asked everyone to participate to an activity. In spite of myself, my interest re-focuses on what's happening in the room. That's why professional speakers often ask audience members to shake hands and say something to their neighbor.

A participating audience is an attentive audience. Make it a habit to incorporate a strategy to refocus absent-minded listeners, and make them react regularly. An easy way is to have humorous moments in your speech and invite audience participation. These are all good methods to reclaim the audience's attention.

Happy speech! ©

MMXI J.A. Gamache www.jagamache.com.
All rights reserved. ---------------------------------

To your speaking success!
Fran Watson
P.S. Sign up for some more speaking tips on my websitehere