So how do you prepare to give a speech? Do you write your words? Create some PowerPoint slides? turns out there is a very important thing that you may have missed, taking control of the room you’ll be speaking in…
All the world is a stage, including your room
Sometimes when you give a speech, you actually stand on a stage. However, other times you just stand in front of a room. No matter how you do it, as a speaker you can define how big your “stage” is.
The bigger the room (and the audience), the bigger you want your stage to be. This means that you will be using the left and right sides of the stage while giving your speech. If you’re speaking in a smaller room, or to a smaller audience, you’ll want to limit the amount of stage space you’re using so you can increase the level of intimacy What does your audience feel?
As we’ve all seen when we’ve seen really polished speakers, you never have to just stick to the front of the room. If it works with your speech and if you feel comfortable doing so, you can walk to the back of the room while you speak, as long as it works with what you are currently saying.
Finally, where your audience sits can be very important. We’ve all seen situations where the front rows of a room are left empty by an audience sitting in the back. As a speaker, you can invite (or insist) your audience to take the front seats before you start speaking.
How to set up your stage
One thing to remember as a speaker: you control the room. Although there are sometimes limitations on what can be done, it never hurts to ask for a room to be set up in the best way to match your speech.
One possible configuration is to have the chairs in the living room arranged in a circle. This is a great way to make it easy for your audience members to talk to each other. An alternative is to arrange chairs in a “U” shape that allows for eye contact and conversation between audience members while keeping everyone’s attention on you, the speaker.
As your audience gets bigger, your seating options get smaller. In general, for formal presentations, the standard classroom seating structure with rows and columns of seating works best. When faced with this type of seating system, you still have the ability to control the room.
To take over a room, you must be able to take your speech to your audience. This means that where you give your speech is up to you. You own the stage and you can decide where you want to stand and move.
There is no correct answer to the question of where a speaker should stand during a speech. Some prefer to stay at or near the lectern, while others walk the entire stage. Choose which technique works better for both you and your audience.
Take control of your proximity
Their physical distance from your audience it can be a key part of your speech. As a speaker, you control the distance between you and the people you are speaking with.
The greater the distance, the more formal the speech will be interpreted. Since you have the ability to move around on stage, you can reduce the amount of space between you and your audience no matter how large the room is. By reducing this space, you can make your speech become more intimate and connect more closely with your audience.
What all this means to you
When you are giving a speech, you are in charge of everything and this includes the room in which you are giving your speech. taking the time to set up the room to match your speech it is one of your most important tasks as a speaker.
When you are preparing the room in which you will speak, you can control where your audience sits – Are they far from you or are they close? You can change the layout of the room depending on the type of speech you’re giving: is it a small talk or is it a big presentation?
Speakers know that how they set up the room will determine how close they can get to their audience. If done correctly, the room will help the speaker make a positive and lasting impression on the audience.