Picture a hotel ballroom filled with 350 high-powered local business people. They've gathered for the annual Chairman's Luncheon of the largest Chamber of Commerce in the metro area. Awards are bestowed and the transition between Chamber Chairs takes place. And during the 1-1/2 hours of speeches and presentations not a single inspirational word is spoken to encourage this powerful audience to participate in the coming year.
When you or your organization gathers this kind of audience, your first step in preparing the speeches must be to think about connecting to the audience. This is a prime opportunity for describing a vision of the future and inspiring the audience to take action on that vision.
I do not accept that it doesn't matter if the speeches are boring or lacking in inspiration. That may be what people expect but it doesn't mean you should meet those impossibly low expectations. This is a huge opportunity cost--time and attention effectively wasted. Three hundred and fifty of the county's top movers and shakers not impacted by a single inspiring sentence!
My foundation principle is Put The Audience First. In every speech for every audience on every occasion--give your audience something to take with them. You will get immeasurable results in return.
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