Page 152 - Great Communication Secrets of Great Leaders

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GREAT COMMUNICATION SECRETS OF GREAT LEADERS
FACILITATE RESPONSES
Audiences are accustomed to sitting and listening. If you can reach out and
encourage them to speak up, you have broken the invisible barrier separating
the presenter from the audience. Here are some simple things you may wish
to try:
130 Invite the audience to stand and stretch. If the audience has been sitting
for a while, invite people to stand and stretch. They will appreciate your
gesture.
Pose questions to the audience. Possible questions include the following:
How is everyone today? If the response is tepid, pose the ques-
tion again. You can go back and forth until you hit the right
level of enthusiasm.
Why are we here today? This is a good one for getting people
to speak up. You can have some fun with the audience.
Where are you from? Invite people to stand when you call the
name of their city or state. (Note: Find out in advance where
the majority of the people live so that you can mention those
areas first.)

Create an ongoing dialogue with the audience. Find points in your
speech where you can ask rhetorical questions. You can even pause for
a group response. Watch how Oprah shifts from asking a question of
the interviewee to asking a question of the audience. This helps the
audience connect with the guest as well as with Oprah.
Thank the audience. Entertainers are perpetually thanking the audience
for its patronage. Leaders can learn from this example. Recognize indi-
viduals in the audience for special achievement. Take a moment to
thank the group for achieving a milestone or even for coming to this
gathering. Do not overdo it, but acknowledge the audience for its par-
ticipation. Mother Teresa thanked contributors to her mission through
speeches and words, but she also thanked God for enabling her to carry
out her mission. These types of communications reflected on how
Mother Teresa saw herself—as an instrument in the service of a higher
power for a greater good.

USE INTERACTIVE TOOLS

Interactive is the twenty-first-century word for getting people involved in
what you are presenting. Here are some ideas you may wish to consider. Pick