How to stun your audience
I’d done the research and preparation with one exception. That was all good and fitting. Blank stares. I remember looking at my notes, at the audience and then announcing that ‘writing good sales copy was like writing poetry because they both used
figurative language.’ Silence. I had not prepared an opening line or introduction to lead into the body of the presentation. Are they members of a club? Unlike may bad memories, I don’t want
to push this one into a dark closet and slam the door. They’d been told they were coming to a session on writing ad copy. Ofcourse, I realise most of you are too sensible to need those reminders but just in case…You can learn more about what I learnt by stunning my audience. Gradually the hall filled up and hushed. If you liked this article why not sign up to receive Speaking Out Loud, my free monthly ezine? I also practice or rehearse those opening lines! All female? I have. I was invited to talk to real estate agents (realtors) about writing sales copy. A similar age? I was introduced and it was my turn. While the comparison is apt it was totally inappropriate. It’s the lesson I learnt - know you’re audience. Nothing. Do they share similar interests? It isn’t perversity that keeps this memory fresh. What did a bunch of realtors want with poetry? I want to keep in the open where I can see it. The rest, as they say, was history. So wrong, your audience is stunned? What are they expecting from my presentation or speech? You’ll find it here in How to write a speech. Before a presentation or speech I find out as much as I can about the audience:
What unites or brings them together. These days I KNOW whom I’m talking to. The cringing error was this. Not a lot. All male? I immediately lost credibility and spent the rest of the time scrabbling to make up for the gaffe. Those expressions on faces changing from polite interested attention to puzzled rolling eyeball disbelief are a bad memory, one I still can feel embarrassed about. Have you ever got up to speak and got it wrong?
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