Like many things when it comes to speaking, a lot of engaging your audience and creating an experience begins with YOUR mindset.
You have to really care about your audience.
You have to want them to be involved.
You have to want to create a heart connection with them.
You are totally there in service of that audience, and want to create an experience for them that will meet the goal that you've set for that program.
You want them to be engaged and involved.
Let's face it.
Your audience is deciding whether to listen to you or ignore you.
So what does it mean to engage a member of your audience? It means you have their interest, you have their attention, you're having an impact, and you're giving them the opportunity to make a change in their thinking and their life.
It means they're taking what you're talking about and applying it to themselves.
So in a sense, they're co-creating this program with you, because you're providing them with the mechanism for them to apply your material to their own situation.
There are many, many ways to do this.
One way is to use questions.
There are three kinds of questions I often use in speeches.
1.
Questions you want them to answer One mistake speakers make is they ask stupid, patronizing questions.
Who hasn't heard a speaker ask, "Who wants to double their income?" or "Who wants to make a million dollars?" A much better way to engage your audience is to ask them something meaningful that will require them to think.
Then give them a moment to actually think.
Make it specific and open-ended.
For example you might ask, "What do you think are the top 5 reasons why entrepreneurs give up and throw in the towel?" Give them a moment to think, then take some "quick hits" from the audience.
Weave their responses into your speech.
Make sure you acknowledge them with "Great point," "That's right on target", "What a great idea", etc.
To engage them even more, if I have time, I'll sometimes pair them up to talk about the answer first.
That gets the juices flowing, and you'll often have a richer discussion.
2.
Questions you really don't want them to answer, but set up a point or a story and invite them into it When you tell a story, you want the audience to feel a part of it.
You want them to put themselves in it.
They actually co-create it with you by using their own minds and imaginations if you effectively invite them in.
You might begin a story with such questions as, Have you ever found yourself...
When is the last time you...
Then, they are listening for what comes next to see if they have found themselves in that situation.
They're engaged.
3.
Agenda setting questions Another kind of question that I use is agenda setting questions.
These questions pull things from the audience that they'd like you to address in your talk.
For example, in my speech Expose Yourself: How to Use Speaking to Get More Business, Make More Money, and Have a Bigger Impact, I often ask, "What is the biggest obstacle you face in getting the word out about your business and your services?" I'll put them in pairs or trios, and then take quick hits from the audience.
That helps me see what this particular audience is struggling with, and I can tailor my speech in real time to give them exactly what they need.
So try it out.
Use more questions.
Engage your audience more in your material.
You'll be a better speaker and you'll sell more if you do.