Gone in 60 seconds

Gone in 60 Seconds is a 2000 American action film, starring Nicolas Cage and Angelina Jolie. Randall "Memphis" Raines (Nicolas Cage), a retired master car thief, is forced to return to Los Angeles to steal 50 cars in 72 hours for British crime boss Raymond "The Carpenter" Calitri. Raymond is threatening to kill Memphis' younger brother, Kip, after Kip and his associates did not make the deadline to deliver the stolen cars.

The reason I suddenly thought about that movie was because earlier today, I was listening to a speech by a speaker and even though he was doing his best, he was losing his audience's interest....fast.

So I want to share with you 3 things that you can do if you want to lose your audience....fast!

No. 1

Bore them with facts.

The speaker was speaking about travelling. He was telling the audience about the benefits of travelling. Yawn....we all know about the benefits of travelling. Who cares?

Instead of telling us the benefits, why not share with us the adventures that you had gone through while travelling? Tell us an exciting story about one of your travels and we will be your fans.

Once you shared your travelling stories and adventures with your audience, the audience themselves will be convinced of the benefits of travelling, without you having to tell them.

No. 2

Keep a serious face

Seriously, you got to loosen up your facial expression if you want the audience to stay with you throughout your speech. Audience switch off their attention when they are feeling uncomfortable and nothing is more uncomfortable than looking at a speaker who has a serious face on throughout his speech.

So please, smile a little more and you will notice that the audience will want to warm up to you :)

No. 3

I, I , I....We, We, We

Using too many I's and We's in your speech will not engage the audience. Consider these 2 sentences. Which one do you think is better at engaging the audience?

a) Ladies and Gentlemen, when we travel, we get to enjoy a different view of the world.

b) Ladies and Gentlemen, when YOU travel, YOU get to enjoy a different view of the world.

Remember, less I's and We's. Use more You's. (It rhymes...yeah!)

So there you have it.

3 fast and easy ways for you to lose your audience. Do it and your audience will be gone in 60 seconds.

Speak to Inspire and Be Inspired,
Bernard Yong

Flirting with the audience?

I must admit. I picked up a very bad habit lately and that is reading too many books at the same time. It has gotten so bad that I am now on a self-imposed ban from entering any bookshops. FYI, I am now reading 4 different books.

One of my friend by the name of Kassim said, "Bernard, read one book at a time until finish. What you are doing now is like flirting with four women. You won't win any of their heart."

Hahaha....I like the way he compare what I am doing with flirting. Very creative.

I don't know. Somehow, I felt that when I read 4 books at once, it gives me a refreshing feeling. What I normally do is that I will read a few chapters and then I will let the lessons sink into my mind while I picked up another book and read. It gives me variety and a new level of appreciation for all the books that I am currently reading.

So yup...it is like flirting with 4 different women and for those of you who have participated in the flirting game, you will know what I meant by having a refreshing feeling.

Somehow, I find that this technique works well for me. I am a person who gets bored easily and by having a variety of books to read, it actually helps to ensure that I finish reading all of them.

Variety is a good medicine to fight against boredom.

So, how do we apply this to public speaking?

Do we add variety to retain our audience's attention?

The answer is Yes and No.

Yes, you should add variety in your delivery by adding the following to your presentation:

1) Interesting stories
2) Humor
3) Visual aids
4) Dialogue
5) Vocal Variety

and the list goes on.

BUT, when it comes to your overall speech, it must be centered to ONE main theme. Even though it is good to add variety, when it comes to your main message, there should only be ONE.

If not, your audience will be confused and they will leave the room feeling like someone has just wasted their time.

Therefore, when it comes to your speech delivery, add variety. But when it comes to your speech, make sure it centers around ONE main message.

Do it the other way round and you will be flirting not with the audience but with disaster.

Speak to Inspire and Be Inspired,
Bernard Yong