Public Speaking Series, Part 3

The audience is sovereign, or “king.” It’s all about the audience; say that over and over. Earlier in this lecture I said that the key job of a speech is to answer the questions in the minds of the audience. There are many questions they might be asking, but there are two that they are always asking. Your ability to engage your audience will depend on how you answer these two questions.

a. The egocentric question: Why should we, as audience members, care? What’s in it for me? (WIIFM)? How will this improve my life, my relationships, my budget, my career, my success, my education?

b. The credibility question: Why should we listen to you, the speaker? What are your credentials and background that make you smart enough to talk about this subject?

Yes, you can answer these questions, and you should do so early in the speech. You can answer them directly (good idea for the egocentric question) and indirectly (probably better for the credibility question, but not always). Your audience should be engaged because they see that the topic/purpose effects their lives, and they won’t even listen to you if they don’t think you’re competent and knowledgeable. Sometimes your credibility is already known, so you don’t have to address that, but you can reinforce it subtly with examples or stories from your own experience or credentials.