Have you ever thought about your own delivery style? What kind of presenter are you? What speaking style do you have? Is it calm? Moderate? Or high energy?
It is important to have your own unique style and authenticity for speaking engagements since that is what the audience will gravitate towards and they will love you for showing your real personality and vibes.
However, at the same time, you must be highly aware of the environment and culture of the audience you are speaking to. Firstly, it is crucial that you know as much about the audience beforehand so that you can think about your approach. What backgrounds do they come from? Religion, culture, age range? etc.
You must always keep in mind that different cultures expect different things. For example, some cultures enjoy high energy, clapping and dancing right from the get-go. However, in other cultures, it is important to start a little more on a serious and official note.
This doesn’t mean that you must throw away your personal style and do what is expected in that society. You must adjust your personal style appropriately.
One important technique is called “Pacing and Leading”. This concept comes from NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming) and is one of the most powerful key points in leadership. Pacing and Leading means that when you start your talk, put yourself at the same pace as the audience. You must read the room. Then once you feel that you and the audience are on the same page, you can then lead them with what you think is right, and turn up the volume of your authenticity.
Pacing and Leading is a great technique since without creating any conflict, you take your audience on a journey at their pace with your leadership. It takes time to prepare them for your authentic style. It is a way to slowly warm them up, so that they don’t reject you right at the beginning.
For example, if your audience is shy and not energetic – but you are energetic, there will be a mismatch from the start. However, you can start slow and then lead them to experience your style. This way, the audience will eventually like you and appreciate you!
If you would like to learn more tools, strategies & tips that can help you create lasting change, the training courses provided at Step Up International may be for you.
