How many times have you watched a speaker take the platform and promptly bore you to death? He regurgitates his chance statement to yet someone else audience on his world tour believing he has the gift to Wow them into submission. He believes they will laugh, they will smile, but any way he looks at it, they will approve and send back good vibes.
Would person pass me the smelling salts?
If he's in Dallas he begins with, "Thank you Mr. Emcee. Say, how about those Cowboys? America's Team looks pretty good this year."
(Yawn...)
Part of the audience immediately likes him. The speaker knows this because he's picking low hanging fruit. He's pandering to the audience's sweet spot and milking it for all the love and affection he can get.
The qoute is the other part of the audience has distanced themselves from him. They're insulted. Because this is the same scripted chance every third speaker starts his or her message with when in Dallas. He now has to work even harder to win them back... If at all.
Another boilerplate chance begins with, "So how is everybody doing today?"
They of policy exclaim, "Great!"
Then he comes back with, "Oh, come on. You can do best than that. One more time. How is everybody doing today?"
They shout, "Great!"
Some of the audience is thinking, "Oh he must be a motivational speaker. He's already got everybody pumped. He'll get high marks on his evaluation."
Maybe so. But that's a sign of a rank amateur. It's manipulative. Instead of connecting promptly with habitancy on a deep level, he's using filler to cover up his lack. And unless he's speaking to subscribers of Monster Truck Monthly, again the audience is insulted.
Or how about the speaker who starts with, "Thank you Joanne for that lovely introduction. And thank you Mr. Meyers for curious me to speak at your convention. It's great to be here in Hershey. My first time. I've heard so much about your chocolates and I'm dying to try some. By the way, is anyone here allergic to chocolates?"
What a good way to lose people. An instant killjoy. Just when the audience conspiratorially wants her to generate a magic occasion they can rave about - she gives an approximately carbon copy, sanitized chance the three speakers prior to her had given.
Yeesh!
I'm safe bet you aren't giving these kinds of openings. If you are, you are wasting your first few minutes construction a wall instead of a connection. You will have to tear down that wall to win the audience back. That's a gamble you can't afford to take.
But what if you could grab and hold your audience's attention? And have them icy in suspense, planted on the edge of their seats, gripping with silent anticipation? Or catch them leaning forward, maybe to one side fighting for a best view, while hanging onto your every word?
How can you generate this?
With a compelling personal story. One that has your name stamped all over it. One that immediately breaks the ice and reveals to the audience who you are and why they should listen to your message.
You speak from a voice that is uniquely your own. You express passion only you can bring. You join together with audiences because you speak from the heart. This is how world-class communicators bond with their audiences. They give a message that matters. One that is important in the real world.
Your audience is yearning to be touched. They desire to be moved. They want to forget about the day-to-day doldrums of their job, the problems at home, and the constant negativity from the news. They deserve your best for granting you their time.
You have the power to offer them hope. The chance to enhance their circumstances. Maybe introduce something that can make a persisting inequity in their lives. And isn't this kind of bonding more worthy of people's time than request about a football team?
Your occasion Story