I’m going to be very blunt…
People aren’t listening to you…
…not as much as you think.
What’s worse, most speakers can’t even tell…
It’s not that they don’t want to listen to you…they’re secretly hoping you have something to say that they want to know.
But, they’re still not paying attention.
And, unlike the picture above, they don’t show it.
I’ll tell you why in a second, but first, let’s talk about 7 reasons they aren’t paying attention…
I want you to take out a pen…
…write down the top three reasons why your audience stops listening to you.
If you think they’re always listening to you and you don’t need this stuff, then YOU REALLY need to write these down.
Because, it’s not like your audience doesn’t want to listen…
…they don’t want to be mean.
In fact, most audiences HIDE the fact that they aren’t listening…
…they don’t want anybody to know…ESPECIALLY not you the presenter.
They don’t want to hurt your feelings.
But, make no mistake about this…
…at one point or another, your audience stopped listening to you (probably without you knowing it).
That’s why I’m going to spend some time today talking about the reasons WHY.
While I’m doing this, I want you to take out a pen, and check off which of these reasons might be happening to you.
Did you catch that?
…might be happening.
Even if you’re not sure, capture the ones that might be happening. That way, you’ll be sure you’ve got them handled.
P.S…If you’re an expert, do this exercises anyway…
…I’ll bet at some point SOMEONE wasn’t paying attention to you.
Even YOU need to get this handled.
Here we go…
Reason #1: They Don’t Believe You
Read the next line very carefully…
And, to get them hooked, you have to first get them to believe what you have to say.
Did you catch that?
Believe…not listen.
You have to get them to first believe. THEN, (and only then), will they listen.
And, I don’t mean sort of listen, partially listen, or try to listen.
I mean rapt attention. (Pin drop sort of stuff). I talk more about that in this video:
Reason #2: They Don’t Like You
Yeah, I just said that.
Your audience has to like you to really want to listen to you.
You’ve got to be genuine, authentic and attractive, and you can take the test to find out your style here:
Reason #3: They Don’t Understand You.
Careful now…don’t skip this one.
I didn’t say they don’t know what you’re talking about…
…I said they don’t understand.
Big difference.
Even though it may seem like you just need to keep their attention, really you need to show that you can help them to understand.
Once they understand, then they will continue to pay attention.
That’s because they know that your words are what actually help them do it.
Here’s a tip: When the audience should understand something, you can get them there more quickly with questions…
…concise questions that lead them to that understanding.
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Reason #4: They Don’t Need You
Your goal is to show them that they can’t “get it” without you.
The real you.
When you do that, you’ll get their attention…fast.
Reason #5: You’re Too Slow (or Fast)
If you go too fast or too slow, they won’t listen. (Even if they believe in it and want to know it!)
What’s the best speaking pace of the best presenters?
It’s 150 to 200 words per minute (wpm).
For now, just know that when you do this, you will automatically be going at the right pace.
Reason #6: They Don’t Follow You
What’s your goal of your presentation?
To get them engaged?
Probably not…
It’s probably a higher goal…sell a product, an idea, get buy-in, etc…
Even before you can get them engaged…
…you’ve got to get them to follow along.
Once they are following along, they will continue to pay attention because they know your words will keep them there.
Suppose you decide to ask questions as your engagement technique…
…you want to ask thought provoking questions that truly help them follow along.
When you do this, they will want to answer them, even if it is just in their personal thoughts.
If the questions are overly simplistic and not necessary for following along, they will find them patronizing (and stop listening).
Reason #7: They Don’t Feel You
Feel you?
Yes, feel you.
They need to feel you are tailoring your presentation just for them…
…their age, their style, their role, etc.
When they feel like the presentation is tailored for them, they will want to pay attention…
…because they know your words were actually designed to meet their needs.
Otherwise, whatever you do to try to engage backfires…
…it’s patronizing.
Did you check off any of the above?
Now what?
What do you DO about these things?
Check out the Million Case Study—the same exact presentation plan we used at Rule the Room Public Speaking to get over a million people to listen to our talks!! Learn more now.
