Drawing Audience Attention | How to Draw Audience Attention

Drawing Audience Attention | How to Draw Audience Attention

It is not an easy task to draw the attention of the audience while speaking. A lot of practice and experience is needed for this purpose. Also, following some tips and techniques is required in this regard. However, if you follow the tips and techniques mentioned below and if you apply them appropriately, it is sure that you would be successful in arresting the attention of your audience during your oral presentation, and the establishment of your rapport with them would be easier and quicker.

Presented below, is a list of some important points you should bear in mind while speaking to your audience to draw their attention instantly and effectively.

(i) Size up your listeners — their age, sex, background and interest – before you begin your talk. In most cases, you will know beforehand who will constitute the audience.

(ii) If you cannot size up your listeners, a quick glance will enable you to sense whether they are a group of friendly or hostile people, whether their eyes are lit with eager expectation or they have been huddled into the room against their wish and are sitting with a look of ennui on their face.

(iii) A lot of common sense is required to become a good speaker. So, choose a suitable approach to your audience. In most cases, if you speak directly, you will be listened to.

(iv) Maintain appropriate posture and gesture as well as eye contact while addressing to them. Remember that your general bearing, facial expression, posture and gesture will play very significant role to draw the attention of your audience.

(v) Modulate your voice as per the demand of situation and the subject of presentation. Make sure that the audience is clearly hearing and understanding your speech or lecture.

(vi) Try to converse with them. Each listener should feel you are talking to him individually. No verbal fireworks are necessary to arrest the attention of the audience.

(vii) Speak to your audience with conviction and sincerity about their immediate interest and something with which they are familiar and you will in all probability be able to lure them into listening.

(viii) If the subject is drab, give it a personal touch. If necessary, dramatize certain ideas to break the barriers of communication.

(ix) Never be too dogmatic; instead give the impression that you wish to share your views and ideas with them.

(x) Relating a joke is another way to awaken an audience. However, the effect of a joke depends on how you relate it.  (Try it first on friends, in smaller groups. If you do not get the expected response, drop it.)

(xi) If you get desired response, build your joke into the body of your speech in such a way that it appears to be a part of it and the audience receives it almost unprepared.

(xii) It is an act of wise to choose humor arising from personal life and incident because such humors always lure the audience. (In your audience there would be some people who experienced the same incident in their personal life and they would quickly identify with you when you relate such a joke.)

(xiii) Mark your audience carefully how they are receiving and reacting to your joke, and modulate your voice accordingly.

(xiv) If you notice a listener is smiling or whispering to a neighbor, do not feel disturbed, nor presume that he criticizing you. He may, in fact, be expressing his admiration for you.

(xiv) Concentrate on your ideas on what you wish to communicate, which is the best thing. You need not concentrate much on whether you are making a good impression.