Speak to everyone in your audience as individuals

Each person in your audience sees themselves as an individual. They might be part of a company, association or community but they still think and act as individuals. If you want to influence them you must address each person individually.

What does that mean?

First, look directly at people. Focus your eyes on an individual while you deliver a phrase, then move your eyes to another person and talk to her. Make your presentation a series of individual conversations. See a face, then another. Don’t gloss over a sea of faces.

Second, use language that you would when speaking to one person.

Don’t say “Hello everybody” or “How is everybody?” Who is everybody? If you use the word everybody this way – you might as well say “nobody”. When you say “everybody” you are not talking to individuals. You are treating your audience as a crowd – not as individuals. Crowds are dehumanizing and devoid of responsibility.

Third, use the word “you” when speaking to the audience. The beauty of the pronoun “you” is that it is both singular and plural. Avoid “you guys” or “you all” which are both colloquialisms and only plural.

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Executive Speech Coach, Business presentation tips from George Torok, the Speech Coach for Executives