Do you know how to make your audience like you? Why would you want to? Well, making an audience like you is the key to getting them to listen to you. As people we tend to gravitate towards people who we like and who make us feel good. Many presenters mistakenly think that they have to appear invincible and not show any weaknesses to their audience. This is a mistake. It's hard to like someone who never shows their human side. Look at how Hilary Clinton's popularity soared when she finally let the professional mask slip a little and reveal the human side of a woman sometime struggling to cope with the pressures of a presidential campaign.
Making an audience like you is sometimes referred to as building rapport. To really make an impact with them, you need to be able to do this very quickly with them. There are a number of ways of you can do this. One very simple way is by using self-deprecating humor, or in more simple terms -teasing yourself.
This is a great way to show the audience that you are:
* A human being
* No taking yourself too seriously
* Not someone to be afraid of (yes audiences can feel intimidated by speakers in the same way that that speakers feel intimidated by audiences)
* Someone the audience can relate to. This is very important especially if you're trying to persuade the audience to do something. It's important that they believe it's something within their grasp - itss hard to believe that if the speaker seems to be almost super human and immune to the messiness of real life.
Audiences like presenters they can relate to, feel connected to, and can see as someone they can relate to. There is something very endearing about someone willing to show the not so perfect side of themselves. Using humor also demonstrates that you aren't afraid to laugh at yourself, and that is one of the most likable qualities a person can have (and therefore a speaker can have.)
It's is important to know how to use humor and when. You need choose a way that maintains your credibility about the subject matter. For example, if showing yourself as an expert in customer relations, don't tell a story about losing your cool with a customer! Instead, tell a story about how your 5-year-old son can use the TIVO so much better than you, or how you drove off leaving your briefcase on top of your car that morning. These kinds of stories show that you are human and prone to the usual messy screw-ups we all have. But what they don't do is cause the audience to question your place as an expert in your chosen subject.'
Remember that the earlier you use this technique the better. Get the audience on side as soon as you can - I saw a speaker recently who began his speech by telling the audience how pleased he was to be in the town where a new Ikea had just been opened. He went on to tell the audience how he couldn't go into the store and come out with the right thing, and then when he got the stuff home, he couldn't seem to put it together so that it looks anything like the picture in the brochure! This story got a warm laugh from the audience. It was a laugh of recognition, a laugh of 'I've been there', a laugh of 'I can relate to that.'
And do you think that the audience were more or less likely to listen to the rest of what he had to say? That's right, he had them on board from this early stage and was then able to build a stronger connection with them for the rest of his speech. He knew the value of building with his audience and getting them to like him. You can use this and discover how incorporating some self-deprecating humor can be a fantastic way to be likable and be a more powerful public speaker and presenter.
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