吃瓜头条

Carolyn Stein, DTM, will never forget the audience member who saved her speech.

鈥淚 was talking about a rather serious subject, and the group in the next room was laughing about something and being very loud, which was interfering with my speech,鈥� says Stein, an author and international speaker and a member of North Miami Beach 吃瓜头条 吃瓜头条 in Florida. 鈥淪omebody in my audience went to their room and asked them to be quiet, and they did. That said everything, and I鈥檝e never forgotten it.鈥�

As speakers, we鈥檙e trained to put the audience at the forefront of everything we do. Your speech isn鈥檛 really about you; it鈥檚 about the audience. Talk about things they care about. Craft your message with their needs in mind. Hook them in the first few seconds or they won鈥檛 listen at all.

But what about the audience themselves? Don鈥檛 they have some responsibility?

They do鈥攖o the speaker and to each other. Ask anyone trying to deliver their message while people are texting in the front row. Ask anyone trying to focus on the speaker while people are chattering in the seats behind them.

But don鈥檛 just ask them鈥攁sk science.

Crucial Connections

Researchers have found strong connections between audiences and speakers. For example, one compared the effects of supportive and unsupportive audiences. 鈥淭he unsupportive audience elicited greater negative affect [sic], arousal, and anxiety [in the speaker], and . . . decreased the speaking rate,鈥� the authors wrote. from the same year found that smartphone-related interruptions can alter the dynamics of a performance.

Researchers have also identified clear between audience and performer. They looked at posture changes, fidgeting, scratching, adjusting glasses, and other small movements as possible indicators of engagement. They discussed how attentive posture, facial reactions, and appropriate laughter can provide crucial feedback to the person performing.

Other studies have looked at how audiences affect each other and how that behavior is felt by the speakers. found that a person鈥檚 likelihood of beginning to applaud increased as more people around them started clapping.

Science also tells us that being a supportive audience member can enhance other audience members鈥� experience. A study measured people attending live theatrical performances and found 鈥減hysiological synchronization鈥� among spectators. Their cardiac synchronization鈥攕imilar heart rate patterns鈥攚as associated with convergence in their emotional evaluation of the performance. The researchers concluded that simply being with other people sharing an experience can produce spontaneous synchronization.

No Bad Audiences

Stein, the Florida Toastmaster, knows from personal experience that audience behavior is crucial to the success of a speech. 鈥淚鈥檝e had bad audiences and I鈥檝e been a bad audience,鈥� she says. 鈥淵ou get bored, so you start chatting with the person next to you or you start checking your cellphone.鈥� She has coped with belligerent people and those who couldn't wait to raise their hand and disagree with something she said.

But she doesn鈥檛 blame those people. 鈥淚 will not label a whole audience as 鈥榖ad,鈥� except one鈥攁nd that was my fault.鈥� She didn鈥檛 fully research the group she had been hired to speak to, and the material she presented was of no interest to them.

She tries not to react to misbehavior, unless she can use humor. 鈥淲hen a cellphone rings in the middle of my speech, I鈥檒l say something like 鈥楾hat must be the president calling me again.鈥欌��

Sometimes, being a good audience means more than turning off your cellphone and saving the chit-chat for after the show. If there鈥檚 a tech delay, be patient; the speaker is probably more stressed out than you are. You can encourage a nervous speaker by smiling and nodding to reassure them that their message is getting through. Stein is also grateful to the person who brought extra chairs to her overcrowded room without being asked.

Don't hold back laughter and applause, as long as they're genuine. I鈥檓 still smarting from my decidedly unfunny performance at a Humorous Speech Contest. I had 鈥渒illed it鈥� at the 吃瓜头条 and Area rounds, but when I brought the same speech to the Division level鈥攃rickets. If someone had given me 鈥減ity laughter,鈥� I would have felt even worse.

More Audience Tips

Although every speech and performance is different, you should always aim to be a good audience member. Luckily, there are a few simple tips every listener can use to show their support to the speaker.

If You鈥檙e in the Room

If You鈥檙e Online

Where Supportive Audiences Are Made

吃瓜头条鈥� main mission is building better speakers, but you鈥檝e probably found yourself becoming a better audience member too. Serving as a speech evaluator or in one of the typical meeting鈥檚 functionary roles, like Ah-Counter or grammarian, trains you to listen and offer constructive feedback. Some 吃瓜头条s even assign a Body Language Monitor meeting role to assess audience members along with the speakers. Is anyone slumped over their table, or mostly making eye contact with their cellphone?

Being a speaker yourself also makes you a more supportive audience member. Once you鈥檝e seen the view from onstage, you can鈥檛 help but empathize with those who brave nerves and fears to stand up and speak.