Relax and Engage With Your Audience

We used to be told that to avoid nerves when public speaking, we should not look at the audience, but rather just over their heads. That way we would not see anyone and could just concentrate on what we had to say without the risk of being distracted.

I beg to differ. I find it most important to look at my audience. I scan the room holding eye contact for a brief couple of seconds with an individual to give the impression that I am really talking to that person. I see public speaking as having a chat with people I know. I want to be relaxed, loose and fluid on stage. I don´t want to stand behind a lectern, reading notes and avoiding my audience. That gives a boring type of lecture rather than an animated conversation. The people in my audience want to hear what I have to say so I want to talk to them, rather than above them. Rather than move from left to right and then back again, I scan the room holding the attention of someone in the left, the right and the centre. My eyes move from front to back. Of course, in a large auditorium, the people at the back may be too far to engage with personally but glance in their direction and they will feel that you are looking at them one-to-one. Watch a stand-up comedian working an audience. He might pick on a few individuals at the front for improvised repartee but will also look at all areas, even up above in the dress circle.

I always say to my students, "Imagine a room of smiling eyes." Your audience have come to be entertained, or at least informed. They do not want to be bored. Even a boring subject can be made interesting with some energy and creativity. Your audience want you to succeed in your communication so that their time is not wasted. Engage with them, make them feel as if you are talking to them alone. Really communicate rather than just speak. Yes, it is a monologue and not a verbal dialogue between two or more people but give them the impression that you are communicating with them one-to-one. It is most encouraging to see someone smile back or nod their head in agreement with something that has just been said. In that respect, it becomes a dialogue as people communicate back with their eyes and body language. In a training or workshop environment, they might be encouraged to participate, to contribute to the discussion or share their experience. Your audience has to feel comfortable with you to be able to do that.

The more you interact with your audience, the more non-verbal feedback you will receive making the stage a less lonely place for you. You will need to practice this as reaching out to touch a stranger with your eyes can feel awkward but with practice, it will become more natural and rewarding.

©Antonia Harrison 2011

Antonia Harrison at Venus Speakers trains women in the art of public speaking and better communication.