Public Speaking – Engage the Audience’s Imagination, Physiology, and Emotion

The kind of self-knowledge and enthusiasm for oneself that a public speaker wants to personify, which I asked for in my previous article, is not the selfishness and self-centeredness that we find in self-absorbed people. This is humanistic awareness, enthusiasm and joy to be alive and grateful for being powerful, capable and good; that you are an important part of the interconnected whole of being. This includes the awareness that the people you seek to motivate are an equal part of this greater self and that everyone benefits from your message. The meditation and visualization exercises that I describe in my book will help you connect with yourself and with your audience.

Feel and share your passion for yourself, the subject and the audience

There are other qualities that a great communicator personifies; sincerity and credibility, among others. For now, suffice it to say that to persuade your audience, you need to be informed, focused, and passionate about yourself and your message. That is before engages others in communication. Once your speech begins, your focus and intention is on the audience and your need to reach out and move them with your passionate message. Your goal should be to guide them through an enriching experience; one that motivates them to take action for further enrichment.

Persuasion

The Greek philosopher Aristotle divided the means of persuasion into three categories: Ethos, Pathos, and Logos.

• Distinctive character refers to ethical appeal or credibility. Ethos is critical to effective persuasion. We are more likely to believe in people we respect; people who seem credible to us. Alternatively, we are unlikely to trust or believe in a person who seems unbelievable to us.
• Pathos refers to the personality and emotional attractiveness of the person as a means of persuasion. Like ethos, this is critical to effective persuasion.
• Logos refers to the ability to logically persuade someone of your ability to solve a problem you have or provide some other benefit. Logic is the least important persuasive factor, but it is nonetheless relevant and often crucial.

Embody the genuine respect and concern of the audience

Research by behavioral scientists has shown that two qualities consistently improve communication and persuasion. These are empathy and sincerity-ethos and pathos from above. We must have confidence in another person before they can persuade us. Emotional appeal, more specifically through active and personalized stories, is perhaps the most powerful tool for persuasion. Audiences see a story well told in their perfect, furtive imagination. In addition, they and their loved ones become the active protagonists of your story. This is a much more powerful and effective motivational vehicle than simply “saying” something to the audience. After all, the main goal of public speaking is to motivate the audience to act.