A REASON TO LEARN

Unlike children who will learn simply for the sake of learning itself, adults need to see benefits before they can readily pick up new information or skills.

Knowing this is critical to you as a speaker. As already discussed, the public speaker is essentially an educator. You want your audience to walk away with something you have given them. Whether it is a direct sales pitch with a reach to your audience’s money purse, or giving a testimony at a drug rehabilitation centre, you are there to leave the audience with something to do (or at least think about).

It is imperative to stress the benefits behind whatever you are “selling” to your audience. Tell them why this information is so important to them. Entrench it into your introduction. Keep reminding them of why your message is so important to them throughout. Make it the last thing you say.

“Using the Mary Dumpling method will save you time and money.”

“Blue Widget Baby Monitors will let you sleep in peace every night.”

“Hanging on to that depressed stock will bring in the profits next month.”

Give people a reason to listen to you. If you think that all you need in order to give a commanding speech is an invitation then you will probably bomb. Justify your presence in front of the audience by giving them a reason to listen and learn. By so doing you will qualify yourself as an authoritative speaker in their view better than any resume can.

Excerpt From: Mark Porter. “The Way With Words.” iBooks.

This discussion is continued in detail in “The Way With Words”, by Mark Porter.