When you speak to an audience, you have to create a connection with them. If you start with your name and what you are going to say, even though it is obvious, you will lose the majority in seconds.

Instead, start with an interesting fact, a challenging question, or do something else that is uncommon. You need to get the audience's attention within the first minute; otherwise, you will not experience engagement. 

If the audience has been seated for a longer time, you can ask them to stand up and shake their bodies. Motions drive emotions, and they will be more interested and listen.

Playfully use humor and try to be aware of what is happening in the room. Pay attention to details and to whom you are talking. They will appreciate you for taking the time to adjust the speech for them. Always remember that you are there for them and that your purpose is to add value to the listener. 

The audience will not care how much you know until they know how much you care. Make the audience feel that you are there for them. Share your heart, and the audience will give you theirs. Knowing who you are speaking to makes it easier to connect with the spectators and to understand what they want or need to take away. 

Before you enter the stage, you can put yourself in a positive state with affirmations and movement.

Look people in the eyes, stand up straight, and you will appear as confident. Make sure to show your hands right away and display your palm because you will come across as more friendly.

Live the story you are telling

People remember feelings better than words. If you accompany feelings together with words, your speech will be something extra. That is why storytelling is so compelling. Tell a personal story and incorporate your message. 

Use your body and voice to visualize your story. For example, if your story is about catching a big fish, you can show how you are holding the fishing rod and how hard it is to pull in the fish. 

When you use your body language, make sure that your body movements and illustrations are in sync with the subject. Otherwise, the audience will pay more attention to your body language than to what you are saying.

Another advantage of a personal story is that you will be more authentic on stage because you are telling something you have experienced. 

Study Lisa Nichols and she will teach you more about authenticity and storytelling. 

If you want to emphasize something, slow down your speed and pause after you have made your point. Then the audience will have time to think and digest your message. The effect can be remarkable if you master this technique. 

Less is more

Keep it short, and try not to include too many different subjects. Less is more. Often I experience speeches that have too much information. Overfilled pieces of information on PowerPoint slides are examples of that. My tip is to only display images together with quotes instead of a lot of text.

Practice makes perfect, and the more prepared you are, the more natural you are going to be on stage. There is nothing more uncomfortable than to see an unprepared, nervous speaker on stage if you are sitting in the audience. 

However, start taking the first step. Practice in front of a video camera is better than standing in front of a mirror. The reason is that you cannot see yourself if you turn away from the mirror. Do it over and over again until it feels more natural. The best speakers in the world have spoken in front of an audience more than 10 000 times. Success is not created in a day; it is created daily.

Ask for feedback after your presentation. Feedback and reflection is the mother of learning. Commit yourself to become better. Study the best and act on the things you are learning. Failing forward is the best way to master a skill.

Powerful movements on stage

From the audience's view, the left side of the scene is considered to be in the past tense, the middle is present, and the right side is the future. The reason is that our left brain possesses our memory. The right brain possesses our creativity. 

You can use this robust knowledge when you are telling a story, for example. During your story, you should move from the left to the right. The right side of the stage is always considered to be best for delivering positive content.

Sometimes you can point to the left side when you are talking about something negative and to the right when you address something positive.

Address the audience as a person, not a group

The best speakers make you feel that you are spoken to directly. Even though you are sitting in the audience, you feel a personal connection with the speaker. They use eye contact and referees to you as "You are..." instead of "You guys..." or "Ladies and Gentlemen..." You would never go up to a person and say, "Hey everybody."

Addressing an audience as a group might come across as if the speaker doesn't care.

Entertain instead of lecturing

When you go and listen to someone, do you want to be lectured or entertained? Of course, you want entertainment. That is why it is essential to know that show comes first and teaching second when you do public speaking

I have personally experienced that I sometimes lecture more than I entertain. As a leader, it is better to apply the things you learn instead of explaining the theory behind your actions.

Leadership training could be designate to other specific forums such as lectures, masterminds, blogs-posts, or video-clips. You probably understand now why I started Leadershipinnuclear.com and my leadership training courses.

Use these tips to become a better public speaker, and I promise you that your influence with others will increase. Stage-time is leverage time, and if you strive for mastery in this field, people will perceive you as skillful in other areas as well.