Talking to friends and family is fun, it is often seen in their smiles or heard in their voices just how fun it is. Presentations are encountered daily, when updating a client, trying to convince a prospect to pick your company, or even educating the public. Although we enjoy some conversations and talk to people every day, the majority of Americans are terrified to give presentations. They fear the audience is rooting for the presenter’s demise, rather an audience wants the presenter to succeed.

I’ve noticed three things all audiences want:

1) Audiences want to see you succeed – Many people assume when people gather in numbers, they are judgmental and critical of everything. Instead, audiences remain hopeful that you’ll come around and be successful. The audience wants to hear what you have to say, that is why they gave their time to be present. In the end, it doesn’t matter what you’re wearing, how great your slides are, or that you have the perfect introduction, audiences don’t usually have specific expectations of what speakers should or shouldn’t do. They simply want to get something out of their time listening.

2) Audiences want you to enjoy your topic – Preparing is one thing, making sure the audience has takeaways is another, but it’s meaningless if you are not having fun presenting. There is no number of cool slides or helpful data that is going to overcome a boring, monotoned presentation. Quiet and soft-spoken presenters will have to work hard to overcome this obstacle; audiences want to be entertained and captivated by your enthusiasm and passion for the subject. It is then that the listeners will not be able to move or blink until the presentation is over. Audiences are rooting for your success and want to be equally interested and passionate about the subject as you are; they just need you to teach them first. One of the best compliments I’ve ever received is that it is obvious I love what I do, and that passion shows in my presentations. Passion is contagious.

3) Audiences want you to enjoy talking to them – Nothing is worse than being forced into something, your lack of enthusiasm always shows. Your presentation should be as exciting as talking to a long lost friend -– your audience craves that engagement. If you do not have energy, they will begin to wonder if they should care about the topic. When your excitement is obvious, they pay attention because they feel it is important to them.

The audience is rooting for you, maybe not as obvious as rooting for the home team, but they want you to succeed because they want to get something out of your presentation.

Additional Resources

• Sign up for my enewsletter, Simply Speaking, and get my strategies and insights on improving your presentations sent to your email. 
• Download a free chapter from Erica Olson’s first book, Speak Simple – The Art of Simplifying Technical Presentations. 
• Follow Speak Simple on Twitter and YouTube for more ways to improve your presentations. 

How Speak Simple Can Help You

Increase your value by being an expert. Buyers pay more and come to you when you’re the expert. The best way to show expertise over a topic to present at industry conferences, workshops, and webinars. Speak Simple can train you to be a better presenter, craft messages your audience understands, and how to maximize every opportunity. Learn how Speak Simple can grow your sales pipeline and bottom line.