Don't Give a Speech – Create an Experience
“How did you do that?”
“What do you mean? I just gave a speech.”
“I've read the books, Toastmasters manuals, watched other speakers, but I want to know how you learned to do that?
“But I just gave a speech.”
At this point, I told him that I've been speaking since I was a wee one, learned from the best speakers, read books, got coaching, blah, blah, blah. I told him nothing helpful that he didn't already know about giving a speech. I was telling him how I learned to craft a speech, but it wasn't the THAT he was looking for in the question.
That night my boyfriend said to me “You don't just give a speech. You really created something for your audience.” I realized that the THAT my Toastmaster friend was asking me about was the experience. I created an experience for him during my speech. He wanted to know how to do that in his own speech!
Creating an experience for an audience is about connecting with them. It goes past audience analysis, understanding their challenges and adapting your message to them. It's about connecting with the audience as humans. Michael Margolis, founder of Get Storied tweeted “It's about helping people find the invisible lines of connection. We spend too much time thinking were different from each other.”
It's about building a relationship with those to whom you speak.
Don't just give a speech – create an experience your audience won't forget!
Creating an experience is about storytelling, invoking emotion, being vulnerable, finding the extraordinary in the ordinary moments of life, simplicity, and many more topics that I haven't even thought of yet!
Watch this space for ideas about creating an experience in your presentation in the coming weeks.
For now, I would love your ideas and thoughts! We have all been audience members, how did a presenter transport you into their speech?
Share your comments below or find me on Twitter or Facebook!
Thank you for giving me opportunity to remember an experience I had! Jeannie Robertson http://www.jeannerobertson.com/ was a keynote speaker at a networking meeting I attended 5 years ago in Charleston South Carolina. As she shared stories, I was there with her. I wasn’t just imagining what she was saying–she transported me there!
After the speech I pushed my way through the crowd and asked her the same question you were asked “how did you do that”? She told me I needed to join Toastmasters, and the rest is history!
So that is your Toastmasters origin story? Awesome. I admire speakers who can take us away with them. It’s something I am going to be writing a lot more about in the coming weeks. Thank you for your comment, Jackie!
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Hi Michelle,
I totally agree with the idea. I am the kind of speaker that loves to take the things emotional. But how to create a experience when we are talking with perfect strangers that are not really in the mood for speeches?
So often I deal with this problem, that many times I forget the true meaning of my own stories and life experiences. Should I stick to my first version of that experiences or rephrase them and put a cover on it?
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