Never underestimate the need to speak, and be heard when saying a few words.
You have probably been in the following situation many times.
You are at an early evening event with drinks and canapés.
Then you hear a faint tapping of a glass.
“Ladies and Gentlemen.”
And before you know it, the speaker is several sentences into a dry speech.
The speaker arrived without a trace.
And it went downhill from there!
About a month ago, I attended an event where the speaker managed to avoid this and actually spoke well.
Here is what she did.
The event had been going for around thirty minutes or so.
Shortly before it was time to speak, the organisers ushered everyone to another room next door.
As they did so, they mentioned that we were moving because our host was going to say a few words.
People moved through, expecting a speech.
The conversation continued in the next room, but somewhat quieter, as we were expecting a speech.
And when the host stood up on a table to speak, there was instant silence, because we were expecting a speech.
The overall impact was very positive.
It helped that the speech was good, of course.
However, I have seen countless examples where the speech was potentially good, but nobody was really ready to listen early on.
Next time you are facing a situation like this, what can you do to ensure you speak, and be heard from the start?
For more tips and guidance on all things to do and think about when presenting – check out the following article on…
