A packed hall with an expectant audience. I sit in the second row and look forward to a speaker evening with many well-known colleagues. The lights are dimmed. There we go. From the right comes the moderation of the evening. She strides up the stairs to the stage on mile-high heels, but still confidently in step. She looks very good – purely professional interest, of course – and wears an elegant dress. This will be a good moderation, I think to myself. At level three, she says – still walking – "Yes, so good evening ...". That won't be a good moderation, I think to myself. Yes, it can happen that fast . From a fraction of a second to the next, its effect changed completely and irrevocably. And with it the expectation of what is to come. My expectation immediately sank to a depth of fathoms. Unfortunately, I was right. Neither voice, nor content nor the rest of the overall performance were memorable. Not really bad, but not worth mentioning either .... Why did I know that right away? Well, if you mess up your opening sentence like this presenter, you definitely have no idea about a convincing appearance and effect. I know this phenomenon quite well, many people start to speak much too quickly on stage. But to start the introduction and greeting on the podium was also fascinatingly new to me .... The young lady certainly wanted to be particularly polite and pick up her audience as soon as she was visible, but this casually said greeting sounds rather disrespectful and sloppy to the listeners. Apart from the fact that no sensible appearance has ever been accompanied by the words "Yes so .... " should begin! What could have been make the young presenter better? The right thing to do is to enter the stage elegantly, to go into the middle of it and to put down roots first. This is important in order to come into our midst. Also helps really well against possible stage fright! Then make intensive eye contact with your audience and wait a bit. This is also the best way to ensure the silence and attention that your speech or moderation deserves. Only when you have everyone's total attention do they begin to speak ... It is clear to me for many speakers, it is rather unpleasant to stand up there and say nothing at first. These moments seem like eternities. But only to the speaker. Never on the audience!! And, let's look at it this way: Isn't it a wonderful moment that we can savor? In this case, as a person standing in front, we have a very delicious, positive power. "Those down there" are waiting for us to say something. We alone decide when to start. This is pure excitement for everyone. Great moments that we can fully enjoy with all our appreciation for our audience! Of course, this build-up of tension must not drag on endlessly, otherwise the effect will turn into the opposite. But, with a little time and practice, you will instinctively learn to recognize exactly the right moment! In this sense, , try to celebrate these moments before your first word at your next performance. I would be happy to find out how you fared here in the blog as a comment!
Yours, Arno Fischbacher Read Also:
- Perform confidently, but how?
- What your listening sounds reveal
- Interrupting frequent speakers elegantly and effectively
The author:
Arno Fischbacher is a business voice coach and rhetoric expert, speaker and author. He prepares executives and employees of the top companies in Germany and Austria for negotiations, presentations and media appearances. Fischbacher is the author of several books, past president of the German Speakers Association (GSA) Austria, chairman of the European Network of Voice Experts, stimme.at.
If you would like to learn more about specific training opportunities with Arno Fischbacher, make an appointment here free information talk.
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