This is what the online content site says:
Explanation:
Analyze and Adapt to Your Audience
The key focus of speech development is to always consider your audience. The audience is the reason for the speech; so much of the preparation requires analyzing the audience. However, preparing for your audience isn’t simply learning about your audience. It is figuring ways to adapt to your audience to ensure that they remain engaged throughout your speech. After all, there is nothing worse then losing your audience halfway through the speech.
What is the best way to maintain audience engagement? By incorporating these techniques into your speech.
Begin with a Question
One way to hook your audience at the beginning of the speech is to start with a question. This helps get the audience thinking immediately, and also shows that you are there to interact with the audience.
Often, the type of question you want to ask is one that audience members can quickly answer. For example, you might ask, “If you had to make a choice, which would you prefer to do—exercise 20 every day or sit with a good book every day? How many of you would choose to exercise? How many of you would prefer to read?” Not only does it cause the audience to become part of the speech, people in the audience start building connections. They see people who are similar to them. This also helps you build an understanding of the audience. You can actually learn about your audience by sitting back and seeing how people respond to your question.
One way to get an audience engaged is to ask a question and seek a response.
Break the Ice
If you want to get you audience energized and have them participate in your speech, one thing you can do is use an icebreaker. An icebreaker is any activity you incorporate that gets your audience moving around or interacting with their neighbors. The activity should involve movement, interaction, or both. It could be a quick survey, such as, “If your favorite season is summer, head to the back of the room and share one reason why with a neighbor. If you favorite season is winter, head to the front of the room and share one reason why with a neighbor.” Or, it could simply be a turn and talk to you neighbor about a topic related to the speech. Engaging the audience is one way to get them interested.
Icebreakers can also be used for a long speech. Because most listeners’ attention spans will drift after about 10 minutes, adding one of these to a speech can keep the momentum going. Another thing to know about icebreakers is that they work well after a break, such as a snack or lunch break. Keep in mind that not everyone enjoys icebreakers and that they can make some people uncomfortable. So, it is best to avoid them at the beginning of a speech if possible, unless, of course, people need to get to know each other as part of your speech.
Text icebreakers are one way to engage the audience.
Seek the Wisdom of the Audience
Another valuable way to include the audience and keep them engaged is to ask for audience input. By doing this, audiences actually contribute to the presentation. The easiest way to do this is to use some type of media displayed in the room, such as a transparency displayed on an overhead projector or a LCD-projector showing a document. Then, have audience members share ideas that you can type or write and display for all to see. For example, suppose your speech was about the history of the Summer Olympic Games. You might ask audience members to share their answers to the following question “What sports appear in the modern Summer Olympic Games?”
To maintain engagement, have audience members share their ideas or knowledge.
Keep the Audience Focused
One final way to keep the audience focused is to make frequent eye contact with many different members. This makes the message more personal and helps audience members feel you are talking directly to them. Making eye contact can be difficult, but one trick expert speakers use is to look slightly above the actual audience members’ heads. This way, it looks like to you are making eye contact without being awkward.
Humor can also be helpful to engaging the audience. Laughter puts people at ease and keeps the speech light. Always make sure that the humor is appropriate, respectful, and something the audience will understand.
Presenting speeches is hard work, and it can be a challenge to keep your audience thoughtfully engaged. By using these suggestions, you will be able to maximize your audience’s attention while minimizing their distractibility.
