Peter Fogel's "The Secret to Inspiring Your Audience While Public Speaking!

New speakers (as well as audience members) occasionally approach me after one of my keynote presentations and ask me how I knew I wanted to be a speaker. Well, that is certainly a good question that has many answers. However, the one resounding theme that percolates inside my head as to why I love public speaking is the thrill of inspiring my audience where I can make a profound difference in their lives.

I am not just talking about at the conference that I just spoke at. I am referring AFTER the event.

And you should know I've appeared on television, clubs, and concerts as a stand-up comic during my public speaking career. So I am used to getting applause, loads of laughter, (and yes, on occasion a standing ovation.)

I tell you that not to brag, but to make a point: And that after these events, or concerts, (or gigs) are over, people go back to their lives no different than when they came to my event. Comedy is like a little vacation for them. A reprieve from the stress of lives. That's about it!

But with public speaking, I appreciate when people e-mail me later on ( or write to me on Facebook) to say that my presentation on humor and reinvention, along with my heartfelt stories I delivered, made a difference in their lives. I especially smile when they tell me my message inspired them to make changes in the way they look at life… well, that makes a major impact with me.

How Can YOU Inspire an Audience?

Your goal, I hope, as a public speaker is to inspire as well. In fact, that should be large motivating factor in your decision to use public speaking as a vehicle to boost sales, acquire more customers, sell more products, or gain expert status in their eyes!

So how do you accomplish that? Plain and simple: you need to move your audience. You need to have an audience relate to you and your vital message or content!

When you get down to it, you have achieved success when your audience is inspired to such a degree that they are ready to actually DO something about the problem they have.

You want to get your group to feel that they can do something because YOU made them feel that they could.

It's ALL About making a CONNECTION with people.

So how do you make that connection? One way is to understand their collective pain. And trust me: every association, club, or company you speak in front of, believe me -- usually has one enemy or some type of collective pain.

Another important way to connect is to simply NOT be afraid of showing your audience who you are and what you’re feeling during a speaking engagement.

Of course, I don’t mean to imply that you should show that you’re nervous or let any lack of confidence come through (even if you are nervous and unconfident).

What I am talking about is your energy, the excitement you have for your subject matter… crafting and telling stories where you are almost living it on the platform at that moment. Doing that, and having the desire within yourself to connect with you audience -- will help relate to then on a deeper scale!

You see, before you make a connection with your audience -- to them, your mouth is simply spouting out words. A talking head, so to speak. Your audience must FEEL a connection to your words and to YOU. You will know when you have the audience on your side when they are looking right at you, virtually hanging on your every word.

Why You Need to Inspire an Audience

Just speaking from your teleprompter or your printed papers is not enough to get an audience on your side. Oh, sure, you may know all the right information to feed to an audience.

You might even have a great speaking voice --- loud, pleasant to listen to, great emphasis in the right places. But if you want to experience the power of inspiring people to take action to solve the problems in their life, then you must believe in yourself and the message you are delivering. If you don’t really feel and believe in what you’re saying, why should anybody else?

How YOU Can Be a an Inspiration to Your Listeners

The way to inspire an audience is a skill you have, but more importantly, should use every time you bound onto the platform. Think of the Great Speakers in recent history: John F. Kennedy with his Inaugural Address, Martin Luther King, Jr. and the “I Have a Dream” speech, Barack Obama and his call to action with “Yes, We Can.”

These world-class speakers believed in what they were saying which touched people around the world to pick themselves up and accomplish things. So, yes, you have to believe in what you’re saying.

The way to inspire an audience is not by reading a set of prepared lecture notes. (And yes, you DO need to be prepared… and perhaps some notes on the lectern might help, but I hope you don't use it as a crutch.)

Work on being excited about WHAT you’re saying and HOW you feel about it.

You’ll connect with the people in front of you. Look into their eyes. Show them how you feel; show them how eager you are to be able to help them make a change or take some action in their lives.

Let the excitement build up within you and, I guarantee you, you will be the Speaker of the Day (or the week, or even the year!).

Yes, you can inspire an audience with your enthusiasm if it rings true. Remember this: Your audience will know if you are delivering them a vapid "song and dance!" with your content or sales message. They will see through you every time!

So do your best to believe in what you are saying and your ability to move your audience to greater heights of self-awareness. Most of all -- move them to take action that will benefit them!