How can you make your audience feel special? How can you make your presentation come alive?
There are many ways….
One superb technique is what I call “Site Specific” comments and experiences.
If you’ve ever seen the video of the one-man show Robin Williams did at the The Metropolitan Opera House in NYC (“Live at the Met”), you will know just what I’m talking about.
Robin did his show in 1986 and at the time, Imelda Marcos was all over the news.
As the famous Met chandeliers retracted up into the ceiling on their extraordinary cables — a jaw dropping vision that happens before every show (and a show in and of itself) — R
obin pointed up to the glorious lights and called out, “Look! Imelda Marcos’s earrings!”
He got a huge laugh.
So what can you do in your next speech?
1) Get to the venue early
2) Look around
3) See if you can connect your content and comments in some way to the environment
Your creativity doesn’t have to be Broadway-level. Even a small reference will add a sense of immediacy.
At a keynote I gave in New Orleans in for CUNA (Credit Union National Association), the event planners had decorated the stage with beautiful colored panels articulating the convention’s core themes.
The panels were turquoise, indigo, rose and purple. And so as I talked about colors, The Prism Effect and recognizing opportunity, I referred to the different hues here.
It’s these small touches that let your audience recognize that you are mindful of where you are — that you are present, in the moment, attune.
So whether you’re meeting with prospects in a small office or speaking on a stage before thousands, look around.
- Be creative.
- Connect your comments to the specific site in which you are presenting
…and remember
- Audiences appreciate customization, inventiveness and originality.