15 minutes till showtime. Most of the 35 business professionals were shuffling their notes, glancing at their cell phones, or looking ahead in bored silence. Though I was not expected to speak till the top of the hour, I dived into the crowd and started mingling. Starting with a person on the front row, I engaged in mini conversations with different individuals.

Using techniques from my book Conversation Magic, I connected with about 8 different people. In part 2, we’ll look at how I do this. In this article we’ll look at 5 reasons why I mingle with the audience.

Reason #1: Mingling Increases my Connection with the Audience

My friend took a young lady out for coffee. Was it a fun evening? Nope. The conversation dragged and it felt like a piano and a guitar playing different music. Their was no connection. He cut the evening short and took her to a movie so he would not have to talk to her!

An audience who feels connected with the speaker listens attentively and the room is filled with energy. If there is weak or little connection, bother speaker and audience may wish they were at the movies!

By mingling with the audience, they will see you as a normal person and it will easier to connect on stage. Leave a great impression before and it will make it much easier to leave a great impression from the stage.

Reason #2: Mingling Increases my Comfort Level and Reduces Anxiety

I rarely experience public speaking fear due to using the principles in Speak with Confidence. However, mingling puts me even more at ease.

A quick way to reduce public speaking fear is to spend time greeting the audience. I coach clients to stand at the door or go around greeting people. They report back how much it helps reduce anxiety and boost confidence.

Reason #3: Mingling Increases my Likeability

A year ago, I spent 10 minutes mingling with a crowd before a training workshop. Later I glanced at the reviews and several individuals mentioned, “He’s a likeable guy.”

If people like you as a person, they are much more apt to enjoy your message and ask you back. Spending time interacting before your speech will greatly increase your likeability.

Reason #4:Mingling Increases my Ability to use Customized Humor and Content.

Audiences love a customized presentation. One of my friends gets paid $5,000 a speech. He’ll mingle with the audience before the event or even the day prior so he can pick up info on what’s going on. If someone mentions the hotel rooms are small, he’ll work that aspect into the speech.

It’s like toppings on ice-cream. A small amount greatly enhances the experience of the audience.

Reason #5:Mingling Allows Me to use People’s Names in the Presentation

Use a person’s name in a positive way and they will enjoy the attention and everyone else will immediately pay attention. Work in people’s names. If they ask a question, refer back to them by name. Your status will quickly rise as a speaker.

Mingling is a powerful public speaking tip. It can be the difference between a good speaking experience and a great speaking experience.

All these reasons benefit me. However, they also benefit the audience even more so they get more out of my presentation.

Watch for part 2 on how to mingle with the audience.

Arlen Busenitz

Arlen Busenitz is an experienced speaker with over 650 presentations. He is Author of several books, CD's,and creator of Become a Better Speaker in One Evening™

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Yesterday, you learned the power of speaking to one person. Another powerful delivery tip is to use the word “you”

Compare these two questions:

“How many have been to New York City?”

“Have you visited New York City?”

The second question is much more personal and the audience member will feel like you are speaking to them. After asking this, you would pause to let people mentally answer yes or no.

Presentation Tip #9: Use the word “You” frequently and reword general questions and statements.

Skim through your presentation and insert the word you when appropriate. When you get to a general statement or question, ask, “How would I word this if I was visiting with someone in the hallway.” Craig Valentine calls this the hall way test.

We would never say to someone in the hallway, “Who here has vacationed in Mexico?”

Instead we would say, “Have you vacationed in Mexico?”

Notice the difference?

Also watch out for what Darren Lacroix calls the “You / I ratio”. We should be using the word “You” much more than the word “I”.

Use the word “You” frequently and it’ll help you connect with and impact the audience.

Arlen Busenitz

Arlen Busenitz is an experienced speaker with over 650 presentations. He is Author of several books, CD's,and creator of Become a Better Speaker in One Evening™

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We know we have made a connection when people say “You were talking right to me!”

How can we achieve this connection? This next speaking tip will help.

Speaking Tip #8: Speak to One Person

Good public speaking is all about having 5 to 8 second conversations with each person. Look at the individual and deliver a thought or couple sentences. Do this and you will make an incredible connection with the audience. Read more on speaking to one person

Arlen Busenitz

Arlen Busenitz is an experienced speaker with over 650 presentations. He is Author of several books, CD's,and creator of Become a Better Speaker in One Evening™

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Effective presentations are a two way street. You are delivering great content and they are responding through nonverbal and verbal clues that they are listening. Heads nodding, people whispering “yes”, or individuals responding to your questions are all signs they are in tune and tracking with you.

Are there things we can do as speakers to encourage response? Yes. Here are six ways to connect with the audience and elicit responses.

Play Music Ahead of Time

Pop in a motivational music CD and have it playing as people enter the room. Turn it up enough so people have to talk a little louder. This raises the energy in the room. Darren Lacroix taught me this and it is very effective. Seek to use music with no words.

Movies use music to significantly alter your mood. You can do the same to prepare people for your presentations.

Plant Questions

Getting the first question from the audience can be like pulling teeth. Help this process by giving out a couple questions to different people. Make them good questions that relate to your speech. Instruct these individuals to ask them within 10 seconds of the Q/A period staring, unless someone jumps in first. This will get ball rolling.

Start with a Personal Story

Start with a personal story that the audience can relate to. This helps connect you with the audience.

Give Out Free Gifts

“I have a question for you. There are several good answers, but one I am looking for. The person who gives that answer will get a free copy of my book.”

I recently tried this and it was like offering free lemonade on a hot day. Responses came flying in. The first person gave the answer I was looking for but I took 4 more answers, before I gave her the book.

Tell People Ahead of Time there will be Q&A

Let people know they will have a chance to ask questions and they will have time to think of them.

Don’t Wring Question out of the Crowd

After washing dishes my mom would wring out the dish rag. She would squeeze it to get every last drop of water out so that it could dry.

Sometimes as speakers we can do the same to our audience.We try to wring out questions from the crowd. Avoid long pauses and continually saying “Any Questions.”

“Surly you got questions.”

Not good.

By the way, never, never end with a Q/A session. Instead put the Q/A before the 5 minute conclusion. You want to control what people hear in the last five minutes.

Lets wrap this up.

One weekend I was doing several workshops. With one group I used these techniques and the other group I did not. The difference was tremendous. Use a few of these public speaking or workshop tips and you’ll get more response from the audience.

Arlen Busenitz

Arlen Busenitz is an experienced speaker with over 650 presentations. He is Author of several books, CD's,and creator of Become a Better Speaker in One Evening™

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Stand up. Speak up. Sit down.

The essence of public speaking summed up in six words.

This advice came from a international speaker who gave thousands of presentations across the U.S. and around the world. He spoke with confidence, delivered with enthusiasm, and was a popular speaker.

Amateurs apply two or four of these words. Amazing speakers use all six.

Stand Up

75+ percent of people fear public speaking. 3 out of 4 people listen to fear and would rather sit in the chair than speak to an audience.  The solution? Stand up.

Public speaking is like leaping into a cold pool  of water on a hot day. When you first step in, there is a shock to the system. Keep floundering around (if you don’t know how to swim) and within a couple minutes it will feel better.

Choose action and refuse to listen to fearful thinking and feelings.

In my public speaking classes and in Speak with Confidence, I teach how to stand up with confidence. When a person has great posture and does three other things, they will instantly reduce their fear and speak with confidence.

Many people have a story or a message that can influence and help many people. Fear is keeping them entrapped. Are you of them?

Take the first step. Stand up. Deliver your message.

 Speak Up

When I heard this phrase, I thought of  my 89 year old great-aunt with $5,000 hearing aids. Those hearing aids seemed to work like ear plugs.  Wonderful aunt but technology seemed to fail her as we still had to shout.

That’s not entirely what this international speaker ment.

It means to speak with enthusiasm. Put fire into your presentation. Speak with energy.

Too many speakers are like a lethargic team of overpaid sports players on a losing team with nothing to play for.

Act enthusiastic and you will feel enthusiastic. Put energy into your voice and body language and you will create energy in the room.

Enthusiasm is contagious. Your audience will get the fever and respond.

Here is one simple tip. Lean forward slightly when you speak. You’ll be amazed at how this subtle change will impact the energy level.

This is covered more in depth in Become a Better Speaker in One Evening.

Sit Down

“End early and leave your audience begging for more.”

Its better to end 5 minutes too early than 5 minutes too late.

People despise planes that circle the airport for extra time waiting to land. Speakers who go overtime are similarly irritating.

Unless you are very popular, have tremendous content, or are paying your audience by the minute, your audience will not appreciate you going over time.

Here are a few tips:

• Speak 10% shorter than you are asked. If you are to give a 10 minute presentation, speak 9 minutes. (Unless you have to keep a meeting on schedule.)

• Open hot, close hotter. Have an excellent conclusion to wrap up the speech. Leave them on a high.

• Be prepared to cut content from your speech. It is inevitable that others will refuse to sit down and your time will be cut short. Reward the audience and cut your time down. They’ll thank you for it.

• Watch the audience. They will tell you when they are bored. Change things up or cut content if need be.

One of my mentors told me, “Arlen, if you want to be successful, get back to the basics and do them well.” In public speaking these include:

Stand Up, Speak Up, Sit Down.

Arlen Busenitz

Arlen Busenitz is an experienced speaker with over 650 presentations. He is Author of several books, CD's,and creator of Become a Better Speaker in One Evening™

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The room was filling up fast. As I mentioned in Part 1, I spent about 15 minutes mingling with the audience. I engaged in mini conversations with various people in the room. From experience, people connect better with a speaker who has spent time working the room.

Here some effective networking tips I use when working a room. (Detailed in Conversation Magic). These are effective in social situations and when working an audience before you speak.

Sometimes I use these as I stand in front of the audience. Other times I float around the room.

Networking Tip #1: Smile with your face and your body.

Smiling is powerful. Studies show it will put us in a good mood and it makes us more likable. A smile makes your voice sound warm and friendly. Practice smiling in front of the mirror so you can create a genuine smile at will and not a cheesy, plastic one.

Can a person frown with their body?

At one event I saw a guy standing in the corner with his arms folded and slumped shoulders. His whole body was shouting, “I am in a grumpy mood. Stay away!”

Uncross your arms. Let them hang by your side. Stand or sit up straight. This will make you feel more confident and be more approachable.

Networking Tip #2: Approach people

Many people are shy. At most events they do not mind being approached by a friendly person, especially if it is the keynote speaker.  My network of business contacts is filled with people because I took the initiative to start a conversation.

“What if I feel nervous or shy?”

Do it anyways. When’s the last time you felt like getting out of bed when the alarm went off? For me, about 1 time out of 20.

After getting up and getting ready for your day, are you glad you got up? Usually

In the same way take control of your fear and approach people. Walk up with a smile. Stop at a comfortable distance.

Then apply this next networking tip on working a room.

Networking Tip #3: Use a comment or a question

A year ago I was standing in front of a packed out room preparing for a workshop on conversation skills. As people continued to file in, I applied the first two networking tips.

I stepped towards a lady on the front row, got her attention, and asked, “How are you enjoying the conference so far?”

That started the conversation and we conversed for about thirty seconds and I found out her name.

While we were talking, the 10 people sitting around her were paying close attention. I was building the connection with them.

Here are some conversation starter questions and comments you can use to start a conversation.

Conversation Starter Questions

• How are you enjoying this event?
• How’s (name) doing?
• What’s new with you?

Comments for Conversations

• Hi! I’m Arlen.
• An observation. The Weather is sure nice.
• A praise. That’s a nice (notebook, ear ring, car,etc) you have.

This will get the conversation rolling and you will be able to effectivly network.

Networking is vital to business success to helping a speaker connect with the audience. Apply these three networking tips and you’ll take your speaking and conversation skills to a new level.

Check out my books and CD’s on Amazon for more conversation & networking tips. Now with free shipping

(C) Arlen Busenitz

Arlen Busenitz

Arlen Busenitz is an experienced speaker with over 650 presentations. He is Author of several books, CD's,and creator of Become a Better Speaker in One Evening™

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