I’ve been working in-house with a lot of organisations recently.
And a topic that comes up over and over again is this: our ideas are only as good as our audience’s ability to consume and digest them.
Whether that audience is 1 or 10,000. Would you agree?
People don’t learn by listening, or watching. They learn by reflecting on, and processing in the moment, what they see and hear.
No matter how great our content is – if we don’t allow reflection and processing time, we will be tuned out, and therefore ineffective.
(Unless we’re simply there to entertain – I did have a magician client a few years ago, and working with them meant using some different strategies!)
Working out how to take care of the audience and give them the time they need, often takes thinking time and careful crafting.
I suggest 3 ways to create the right conditions for happy audience digestion:
1. Simple. Keep your messages clear – in our concern not to ‘dumb down’ our ideas we can often make them too complex or wordy. Or you might worry that your vocabulary isn’t fancy enough: can I reassure you, this is rarely a problem. People are grateful when you keep it plain and clear.
2. Succinct. Keep it brief! Say less to give more. 😀
3. Spacious. Allow space and time for your ideas to land and settle. A cascade of words (the nice way of putting it!) crashing over the audience’s heads will simply make them tune out.
In other words, breathe and pause. Breathe so that you don’t rush, and can pause long enough to see that your idea has landed. Not laboured and performance-style, but a true, staying-connected silence. If you need something for your body to do while you pause, squeeze your toes.
How do you create the best environment for your ideas to be consumed and digested?
Best wishes with your public speaking or presentations!