Showing the audience the next speaker's step-stool.Does your audience relate to you?  Is it engaged by your presentation? As a frequent public speaker and audience member, I realize most of us can improve how we connect with our audience.   This is true regardless of whether we are speaking to a large group, a judge or a client.  Here is a helpful article from Toastmasters  listing twenty common ways that public speakers fail to connect with their audiences.  Believe me, lawyers are not immune from these pitfalls.

Here’s one technique for connecting.  When I give a presentation, I like to meet members of the audience before the program starts.  I ask their name and what they are hoping to learn.  Talking with them ahead of time warms them up and it warms me up.   I try to adapt my presentation to cover their  interests and I like to incorporate some of the people by name if I can.    This also helps start more relationships for them and for me.  What techniques might work for you?

If you have an upcoming pitch meeting with a potential corporate client, or you are giving a presentation on legal issues for a trade industry group or a lunch & learn on your specialty for your bar association, consider ways to connect with your audience.  Instead of guessing or assuming, find out ahead of time what they want to know and learn.  Construct your presentation around that information, or modify it on the spot if necessary, and connect on it with your audience.  You will be a much more effective speaker.  You will see better results from your efforts.

As a successful trial lawyer friend of mine said at lunch today, really great trial lawyers excel at connecting with jurors.  What if you could connect like that with whatever audience is the equivalent of a jury in your law practice?

If you would like help improving your public speaking ability and how you connect with your audience, please contact meThis includes strategizing and preparing for pitch meetings with potential clients and presentations to other groups.