If you need to give a speech soon but are feeling anxious about it, you’re far from alone. About 77% of people have some level of nervous feelings prior to giving speeches. Luckily, preparing and planning for the occasion can help to alleviate stress.
But how can a speaker best appeal to an audience? Answering this question can prepare you for your speech and stop anxiety. Read on to learn how to be the best speaker you can be.
Table of Contents
1. Understand the Audience
The first step towards appealing to an audience is understanding who they are. For example, those giving corporate speeches should think of the needs of those in the company. They can then appeal to those needs and make the speech more engaging for those in the given occupation.
If you’re giving a speech to an audience made up of customers or simply interested listeners, you’ll need to research the target market. Look at the guest list and determine the ages, genders, and occupational demographics of listeners. You can then find strategies for better communicating with this market.
2. Plan Out the Speech
Audiences can tell when speakers haven’t planned out what they’re going to say well. They then wonder why they should care what the speaker has to say when the person speaking didn’t even care enough to plan.
Create an outline for your speech to ensure engaging and direct communication. Listeners will then see that you are invested in the subject of your speech. They will then sense the passion and want to hear more since the subject matter is clearly interesting.
3. Make Time for Questions
Question periods are an important part of engaging your audience as a public speaker. They give listeners time to inquire about the things that they don’t understand or want to learn more about. This shows them that their opinions and concerns are valuable.
Additionally, setting aside a formal Q&A period means that you won’t be fielding questions the entire time that you speak. You can better follow your outline and remain organized.
4. Be Personable and Human
Many public speakers make the mistake of trying to sound overly formal and robotic. This is a bad idea because it’s unrelatable and off-putting. It also stops audiences from feeling comfortable asking questions and talking to you.
When you act like a human rather than a robot, your audience is naturally going to connect with you more. They’ll be interested in the points you’re making and open to your ideas and opinions. Read about corporate speakers for some ideas on how to be engaging and authentic.
So, How Can a Speaker Best Appeal to an Audience?
While giving corporate speeches is challenging and can cause stress, you can make it easier on yourself by understanding listeners.
Now that you’ve answered the question of how can a speaker best appeal to an audience, it’s time to get more information on being a motivational speaker. Check out the ‘business’ tab on our home page to learn more about promoting your business or yourself to a wider target audience.
