Make the Audience Listen

How many times have you really tried to listen to a speaker, but they just couldn't hold your attention?  It's happened a fair few times to me, I'll admit it.  There are just some times when the speaker's presentation is too bland for human consumption.  Whether its their monotonous voice, or sometimes their all-around lack of enthusiasm, speeches too often lose the attention of the listener, and therefore become pointless.

I have heard too many speeches than I can count that, while having interesting topics that otherwise would hold my attention, were presented in such a dull way that I couldn't have paid attention for more then thirty seconds.  The biggest faux-pas in speech making is a monotonous, dead voice.  The speaker could be presenting on the single most captivating topic in the world, but if the way they present it is boring, the audience will zone out before you finish your first paragraph.  Think about the parents in the Charlie Brown movies.  I know it sounds harsh, but that is what kids think that most speeches sound like.  Remember in elementary school when you studied Abraham Lincoln?  Everyone read the Gettysburg Address, yet all I could ever remember of it was, "Four score and seven years..." and then I was off in a day dream.  It was because my teacher read it off of the paper in that Charlie Brown voice!

On the flip side, if a speaker was talking about the most boring thing in the world (health care? the sex lives of snails? Jello? Take your pick.) but delivered their speech with incredible enthusiasm, you would be more likely to actually listen.  A totally captivating speaker will win the contest every time because they kept you on your toes.  So next time you go to make a speech, think of the poor audience that is forced to listen to it.  I'd rather them waste an hour of their time being thoroughly entertained than they waste an hour wanting to stick pins in their eyes.