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A recent survey of the world’s population has shown that a startling 0 out of  6 billion people want to have their time wasted.  I know its stunning, but the facts are the facts.

No one wants to go a terrible movie, sit still in rush hour traffic, go on a horrible date, or be bored to tears by a bad speaker.   We all want to see the world’s greatest movie, breeze home with no traffic in sight, meet the man/woman of our dreams on a date, and hear the world’s best speech every time we open our ears.  We want things to work out so well that we’ll tilt ourselves in the positive direction to make things seem better.

Positive Bias

Our modern day polite society is the perfect environment to sweep an audience off of its collective feet.  Think about it for a minute.

If you go to the movies with any regularity then odds are you’ve seen an awful movie or 3.  When you look up the reviews for those films you usually find yourself staring at a  “3/5″ rating.  Why is that?  Simple. It’s impolite to say the movie was terrible.

Have you ever had a performance review?  If you have then you know what its like to be told in a nice politically correct fashion that you suck.  You can be awful at what you do and the US spin doctor association will find a way to make it a “growth opportunity”, “point of improvement”, or “challenge” instead of just saying you’re the worst performer in your division.

These days its “impolite” to look someone in the eye and say “that was bad”.  The majority of us are polite beings so we nod and go right along with the tide.  I’d be willing to bet my last dollar that the people in your audience are all super polite people that would say your speech was great even if you put them into  deep hibernation.

What does this mean for you as a speaker?

1. No one is ever going to call you a poor speaker to your face
2. Your presentation will be well received regardless of the quality

We operate in a polite society so your presentation is “good” no matter what you do.  That’s not what we want though.  We want you to leave them on the edge of their seats every time you speak.

Let’s look at 2 quick ways to give them exactly what they want.

Excitement

Creating excitement is the best way to be a star in your audience’s eyes.  Break the monotony of the daily grind and people are sure to sit up straight and pay attention!

Creating excitement is a trivial task at best and stirring up controversy is the quick and dirty way of getting it done.   Howard Stern, Bill Maher, Don Imus,  the late George Carlin, Richard Pryor, Carnell West, and a host of others have set the blue print.  All you have to do is follow it. The recipe is simple…say something controversial with a straight face.  If someone asks you what you mean say the same thing again with the same straight face.

If you’re a little too timid to  get people riled up there are other ways to be exciting.  Any of the following will work just fine:

• Humor
• Extreme Creativity
• Unbeatable benefits
• Mystery
• Drama
• Emotional Stories

One of my most successful and well received speeches was a self-roast.  For 5 minutes I picked myself apart in third person.  I told stories of how I cried every time I lost in anything as a child. I gave examples of how my stubbornness caused me to nearly break my ankle.  I laughed at how I accepted a dare and stuck my foot in a pit of smoldering ashes.

When the speech was nearing its close the crowd sat on pins and needles waiting on me to reveal the subject of my roast.  When I revealed that I was roasting myself they exploded in laughter.  The appreciated my authenticity and creativity.

You don’t have to use that idea.  Anything out of the ordinary will work just fine.  Think outside the box and run with it.  People want you to be exciting.  The least you can do is give them what they ask for.

Be Informative

Our society is based on information.  People are always looking for that extra nugget of information that will push them to the next level.

You really can’t open your eyes without being bombarded with information.  Billboards pollute the sky.  Commercials ruin your television experience.  Your e-mail inbox is no doubt flooded with junk email selling you “secret” formulas to look better and be smarter.  All of this is information. Most of it is trash.

You can stick out like swimsuit model in a plus sized store if you present solid useful information.  That’s all we really want from you.

Don’t cram in too much information in an attempt to be useful. One or two well developed points are more than enough to get the job done.  Anything above that usually gets lost in the abyss.

Conclusion

The audience already wants you to be a superstar.  Most people are so polite these days that they’ll bend over backwards to make you feel like one.  When they do you should oblige them and give them what they came for.

Show confidence and poise when you present.  Stir up some controversy, say something funny, be creative, or tell your favorite tear jerker.  We humans appreciate a break from the ordinary.

While you’re striving to create excitement be sure to drop in a nugget of good information.  Your audience will thank you a million and one times.

There’s a 99% chance that your audience is a room full of nice men and women who want nothing more than to view an entertaining presentation with good useful information.

Play nice and give it to us.

written by Marcus A Smith