This article derives from a short talk I give every September to my Boy Scout troop’s high-school age staff called ‘How to Hold the Attention of 80 Kids.’
As I thought more about the subject, and reflected on past experiences I have had both as speaker and as a member of an audience, I realized that in answering the question about how to hold someone’s attention it’s necessary to also address a second question: what do I want my audience to get out of this conversation, and how do I tailor what I say and how I say it so they get it?
Addressing an audience can mean making a simple announcement or making a speech of much greater length. When everyone is involved in the conversation, whether as speaker or as listener, thoughts and ideas flow easily. But there are always countless distractions to divert your audience’s attention, and when you don’t convey information smoothly and in a way that it is easy to absorb and understand you don’t give your audience members a good reason to stay interested and will likely lose them quickly. It is easy to get an entire audience’s attention – for a moment – but if you don’t take steps to keep it for as long as you need to you may lose the opportunity to get your message through.
Here are a few examples. See if they remind you of a particular experience from your past:
- Someone calls for the attention of the entire group, but the speaker isn’t immediately prepared to deliver her information.
- The speaker gets the attention of most of the group, but won’t begin until every pair of eyes is focused on him. Within a few moments, more people start chatting amongst themselves, and the speaker has to work ever harder to get attention focused back on him.
- The speaker begins by talking about something not particularly relevant to the group. Even if she had some relevant information to convey, her opportunity to deliver it is now lost.
- A speaker has a good speech prepared, but because he cannot be heard well, whether due to poor amplification, speaking too fast, mumbling, or not projecting his voice well, the audience has to strain to hear it. After a few minutes, focus is lost, and the message is too.
- A speaker gives a good speech, with powerful and memorable points and good stories to support them. The audience is attentive and focused as she seems to be at the perfect spot to wind up the speech. She continues on, and her original points are forgotten by most of the audience, as members begin to squirm in their seats and wonder when the speech will end.
The key point here is to recognize that if you, as the speaker, fail to adequately prepare to deliver your speech, you will lose your opportunity. You likely will not have another chance, so if it is important to you to convey this information it should be important enough to take the steps necessary to ensure it is well-received.
Think about it:
- Who is your audience?
- What are the most important things that you want them to take away from the conversation?
- What emotion do you want to convey?
- For how long do you need to hold their attention?
The following tips can also prove useful when preparing and delivering your message:
- Speak so you can be heard – The worst thing you can do when talking to a group is to make them work to understand you. You need to project your voice to make sure you are heard clearly. Enunciate, and separate your words so each is understood. To gain the initial attention of a group, speak firmly and with authority so they are primed to listen.
- Tailor your message to what you want your audience to learn – Like a TV sitcom that must run exactly 22:30 to fill the time slot, some speeches are designed to fill a certain amount of time. Generally speaking, speeches like these are for entertainment purposes, not for the purpose of transferring information. When you want to transfer information, the key is to focus on the minimum amount of critical information that you need to get across. Do you want three critical points to get through with a thorough understanding, or do you want to stretch your luck and cover ten points? Your answer will depend upon your expectations of your audience as well as your determination of what is most important.
- Tailor your speech to your audience – When you are speaking to 80 people, of whom many are aged 11 (as with my Boy Scout troop), you need to recognize the level of attention they are able to maintain and the level of language you need to use. I am constantly impressed by how well kids can focus, if the subject matter and the speaker work to keep them focused. I am not surprised at all when the speaker fails to hold their attention for even 20 seconds. Think about the interest of your audience in what you have to say as well as their level of maturity, and tailor the length of the speech, your words, gestures and emphases accordingly.
- Speak with appropriate energy and pace – You are on a mission. You would not be giving this speech unless it is important to you. Only you know what your goals are for your speech, whether it is to be 20 seconds or 20 minutes long. Focus and emphasize the key points, and vary and emotionalize your speech and body language to drive them home. Make sure that every moment of the speech is designed to maintain the audience’s focus on you.
- Finish clearly, and help transition to the next event – Wrap up the conversation so your audience knows 1) that you are finished, 2) what they are supposed to take away from your speech, and 3) what comes next. Part 3 may not be something you need to deal with, but you should be aware of what comes next so you can either lead into it or get out of the way!Most importantly, and I cannot emphasize this enough: Finish on time. If you have blocked out one hour for your 1:00 talk, at 2:05 90% of your audience will be looking at their watches, worrying about their next appointment, and will have completely lost what they learned over the past hour. Do not let your ego rule: everyone other than you has something else to do. Plan out your presentation beforehand to finish on time, and make sure that it does – even if it means skipping a few points.
There are no second chances when it comes to speaking to a group. If you have a message you want to get across, you had better be prepared to deliver it in a way that it will be remembered. By knowing who your audience is, and by preparing and delivering a speech that is tailored to their abilities to focus and learn, you will have a greater impact, whether you are making a simple announcement or delivering a lecture.
