New York Times Bestselling Authors Harrison Monarth, Executive Speech Coach to CEOs, Political Candidates and Top Professionals, and Dr. Larina Kase, a Performance Coach and Business Psychologist, show speakers how to manage anxiety and project confidence when speaking to partisan and hostile audiences.
Denver, CO (PRWEB) June 20, 2007 -- If you dread your next speaking engagement because you expect an unfriendly or highly critical audience, you can take a deep breath and relax.
That’s because Communication Gurus Monarth and Kase reveal the seven secrets they've taught to thousands of clients who have had to present new ideas and proposals to often skeptical and hostile audiences in their brand-new book THE CONFIDENT SPEAKER, published by McGraw-Hill and debuting at #9 on the New York Times Business bestseller list this month.
“Fortunately, for most people a hostile audience is not the norm,” says Monarth. He adds, “Speaking effectively in public is challenging enough for most presenters, and for the untrained speaker the prospect of facing a group of vocal skeptics or outright hostile opponents of one’s point of view can be nightmarish. At some point in your career or personal life, however, you may find yourself in a position where you represent an opinion or view that is unpopular with your particular audience and provokes skeptical or negative reactions.”
In their bestselling new book, THE CONFIDENT SPEAKER, which one reviewer describes as “more than a book on effective speaking, it’s a manual on human relations,” Monarth and Kase reveal seven secrets to handling a difficult, even hostile audience, in a chapter titled, ‘How to Work with Your Audience’. An abbreviated excerpt follows:
Seven Secrets to Handling a Hostile Audience
1. Have an objective. Having a firm objective for your speech, presentation, or discussion can help you stay on message when the audience is unfriendly. A clearly defined objective is imperative in most formal and informal presentation situations, as it allows you to keep your focus on your points, while quickly recognizing when critics are trying to undermine your position.
2. Stay calm. By keeping your own temper in check and responding to hecklers with reasoning and facts instead of emotional outbursts, you are increasing your chances that others in the audience will see you as the more level-headed communicator and may thus be more inclined to give your position fair consideration.
3. Be positive. Having a positive and optimistic attitude differentiates the leaders from the followers. You cannot expect to make a winning impression and convert others to your way of thinking with a negative attitude and demeanor. Showing an audience the possibilities of your vision with passion and enthusiasm will go a long way in convincing them that you’re on to something.
4. Get prepared. Preparation is critical when you are facing an audience that is inclined to dismiss or oppose what you have to say. If you know which of your arguments the audience most likely will reject, you’ll be in a better position to prepare an effective talk that addresses these issues specifically and with sound evidence.
5. Stick to the facts. Consider the evidence you have collected to bolster your claims. When you’re under the stress of personal attacks, resist the gravitational pull to reach for proverbial straws when making your arguments. Stick to the facts, and repeat them often if you have to.
6. Be aware of your body-language. A frequently cited study, conducted by Professor Albert Mehrabian, a researcher at UCLA, found that we get most of our information through nonverbal signals when we are communicating with others. The language your body speaks is more reliable and telling than anything your words say. Therefore, whenever you find yourself speaking to an audience, you should know that the nonverbal signals you’re sending give them a much clearer idea of what the true meaning of your message is.
7. Establish common ground. Think about all of what you have in common with your audience. The awareness of important commonalities can be a strong bridge that will support your statements to your listeners. We all share certain universal experiences that connect us as human beings in spite of our many cultural, educational, and socio-economic differences. Particularly in front of an audience that is strongly opposed to your ideas, it is critical that you capitalize on those common human experiences by bringing them up early in your talk.
“The feedback I get from many people is that they routinely forego valuable and critical speaking opportunities to potentially skeptical audiences, due to excruciating feelings of anxiety and a paralyzing inability to present and speak under pressure,” says Monarth. “But,” he continues, “THE CONFIDENT SPEAKER will help people from all walks of life and professions to learn the tools and techniques necessary to face any audience, friends or foes.”
About the Authors:
Harrison Monarth is the founder and president of GuruMaker – School of Professional Speaking, a high-impact speaking- and presentations coaching firm that counts Fortune 500 executives, political candidates and leading professionals as clients. Harrison and his team of behavioral change experts have coached leaders of such organizations as Intel, Northwestern Mutual, Merrill Lynch, The Ritz-Carlton, and the U.S. Congress, among many others. His unique coaching style and methods are known to produce powerful results in his clients. To learn more about GuruMaker’s programs go to www.gurumaker.com.
Larina Kase, PsyD, MBA is the president of Performance & Success Coaching, and a communications coach, specializing in executive presence, business relationships, and the use of optimal anxiety for peak performance. Dr. Kase is regularly seen in the media, such as Entrepreneur Magazine and The New York Times. Visit her on the web at www.pascoaching.com.
The book, THE CONFIDENT SPEAKER, is available at all major bookstores and online at www.amazon.com, www.barnesandnoble.com and www.TheConfidentSpeaker.com.
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