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1. We No Longer Listen, We Only Look Computers, e-mail, and the Internet don’t talk, they show you information. No more waiting and listening needed. So where does that leave a poor speechmaker who needs listeners? In the dust, as your audience marches on to its more familiar information- gathering system—learning alone, visually.
2. We Have the Shortest Attention Span in History It’s 1-1⁄2 minutes! Fast and easy are the two basic communication drivers now. Messages must come to the point at the top and then take little time. And pertain to me quickly or I’ve tuned out.
3. We’re Expert at Finding our Own Data Googling puts us in complete control of how and when we’ll get information. So clear organization of your material and audience involvement is now a must in getting others to listen.
4. We Depend on Visual Support to Give us the Big Picture Because our infoworld is visual, and because we, as people, remember 85-90% of what we see and less than 15% of what we hear, you must also show and demonstrate, not just talk.

Openings

The number one issue here is to motivate your audience to want to listen. To grab your audience and to inspire them to stick around for the rest of the speech. Openings must answer three questions:

Who Are You? What persona do they see? How do you relate to them? Show them who’s talking and what the journey will be like with you? What positive first impression can you make on them?

Why Should They Listen? What’s in it for them if they do pay attention? How does your speech pertain to them and their lives?

What Will They Hear? What will you cover that they’d want to know or stick around to find out? You must give them your agenda so they’re in on where you’re hoping to take them.

Let’s tackle just one of these:

Who Are You? First Impressions

We unconsciously evaluate everyone when we first meet them. We create intuitive, instinctive reactions unconsciously, based on some pretty surprising things:

• 55% Non-verbal communication (body language, gesture, posture, what we see)...
• 38% Tone of voice (!)...
• 7% Words...

The emphasis on unconscious behavior rather than words (which we control and edit) is because we’re searching for the truth—how do you really feel about being here; who are you, unguarded, in truth?

We all evaluate and decide whether to go further or not with anyone we meet, depending on how interested or pleased we’ve gotten and how much common ground we’ve found. And this doesn’t only happen at cocktail parties or one-on-one meetings. It’s also what’s happening at the beginning of your speech!

Your audience is taking your measure the same way—deciding a few basics about you, and how willing they are to go much further. They tune into you as a person, before they ever meet your mind. Solution: you need to come across as a real person first, one of them. Someone who knows about failures and disappointments, not just success, and that you’re interested in and know about their lives, not just your own.,

This is the important bridge you must cross to get them to stay tuned to you. To answer who’s talking before they’ll let you in.

Good Openings

Television has taught us that communicating now is more conversational, up close and personal. The more informal approach to clothing in the workplace is also valuable and necessary in presentations and personal relationships. The distant, formal approach is passé. Sure, wear your best suit to a speech but still, relate a little more personally and openly to your audience, especially in your openings.

Just remember what you’re trying to do—to let the audience get to know you and warm up to you before you begin your message.

One Possible Approach

Think about what you have in common with your audience. That’s where the real contact and relating takes place, first.

Then approach it personally and directly. Bridge the space that separates you from your audience, not only physically but symbolically. How about:

“You know, preparing for this speech, I sat and imagined all of you. And how many such audiences I’ve sat in—wondering ‘Will this be anything of value or will it be the usual boring stuff and waste my time, delaying my lunch!’ So I know I have a real challenge—to be useful and practical for you, energetic and not too dull...”

What does this accomplish?

• It sets you among us—not apart.
• It suggests you’re pretty secure to spell out what they want and that you know better than to bore them.
• It has warmth and humor. “Hey, this could be different; on my wavelength, and enjoyable.”
• It shows you care enough about us to have even thought about us when preparing your speech. “This could be about something I really care about and can use!”

This is just one example of thinking about how to reach out and connect to your audience—personally, openly, honestly—to take them with you into your message.

Bostonian Sonya Hamlin is a nationally recognized expert on the gamut of communications, regularly coaching CEO’s in Fortune 100 corporations, as well as a two-time Emmy Award winner. Her new book How to Talk so People Listen: Connecting in Today’s Workplace (HarperCollins) is a wealth of helpful tips that engender successful communication. Contact her at sonyaham@aol.com.