How to Be a Better Audience Member During a Presentation

The audience and the public speaker have a unique relationship.

The 2 need each other.

This dynamic can easily go wrong.

I’ve seen times when the speaker was in the wrong.

They kept forcing the audience members to participate.

When no audience members volunteered, the speaker would pick on a certain member.

When the speaker got off stage, the audience was relieved.

In this scenario, the public speaker did not showcase stage presence.

Other times, it’s the audience members who are in the wrong.

They have their phone pulled out, are snickering with the people sitting by them, and looking bored.

All these are moves that distract the speaker.

The audience member can always say:

‘Who cares if I distract the speaker? It’s their job to be able to concentrate regardless.’

Surprisingly, that is a good point.

Why Being a Rude Audience Member Matters

The reason that being a rude audience member matters is that it makes you more fearful when you’re on stage.

You think.

‘Someone may behave the way that I behaved when I give a talk.’

This behavior plants the wrong thoughts in the mind.

It plants the thoughts of being a disrespectful individual.

Think of the word ‘disrespectful’ really quick.

Does that make you feel big?

‘No, it makes me feel small.’

What about ‘respectful’?

‘This word makes me feel bigger.’

Exactly.

When we are respectful, we feel bigger in the speaker-audience dynamic.

In the future, we will feel more confident when we are the speaker.

The #1 Benefit of Being a Great Audience Member

When I first started public speaking, I was super nervous.

I couldn’t sleep the night before a major speech.

One thing that I remember was this lady in the audience for my first talk.

• She was in her 60s.
• White lady.
• Short hair.
• Glasses.

I recall she was matching her facial expressions to my speech.

When I would tell a joke, she’d bust out laughing.

When I would be serious, she’d also have a serious face.

And when I was just talking about the random stuff, she’d still look at me intently.

PAYING. ATTENTION. TO. EVERY. WORD.

She really helped me that day.

Because during the speech, I didn’t know what to expect.

There’s this weird moment in a talk where you have no clue how you’re doing.

The audience isn’t saying much because they are paying attention to see where the talk is going.

There is your voice and silence.

A lot of uncertainty in the air.

Seeing that lady in the sea of faces was my safe haven.

She allowed me to know that everything was going to be okay.

That lady’s enthusiasm allowed me to get my initial momentum going.

I was able to finish strong because of her.

You never know which speaker is terrified to give a speech.

Simply being that attentive face who pays attention to their words does wonders for their psyche.

They were able to continue because of you.

They’ll often remember how you came in clutch for them.

I’m 6 years removed from the old lady watching me from the audience.

Still, I remember that moment like it was yesterday.

Few Tips on How to Be a Better Audience Member

I’ll give you a basic checklist on how to be a better audience member.

See what works.

The first up is…

1. Show Enthusiasm

Enthusiasm gets the wrong reputation.

People think it’s ‘energetic.’

That’s not quite accurate.

I like to view it as ‘engaged.’

That lady in the audience was super engaged.

Her facial expressions matched my story because she was tuned in.

• If a speaker tells a joke, laugh.
• Even if you don’t find it funny, smile.

That shows engagement.

Every now and then, if a speaker asks a question, be the one to answer.

This is a more advanced move for an audience member to show, but it shows that you’re engaged.

2. Avoid Chit-Chatting with the Person Next to You

Small moves can look large when someone is nervous.

If the speaker is already nervous and they see an audience member chit-chatting with the person next to them, then the speaker will think:

‘Is my speech that boring that I can’t get others to pay attention?’

The worse version of this is when the 2 audience members are giggling with each other.

To the speaker, it feels like the audience members are making fun of them.

The audience members may be like:

‘What?? We weren’t making fun of the speaker. We were talking about something different.’

Doesn’t matter.

When someone is nervous, small things seem like big things.

3. Before and After Decorum

One of the most annoying questions that the speaker gets before a speech is:

‘Aren’t you nervous?’

That question tilts the perception on the negative side.

Or the audience members will tell the speaker beforehand:

‘Better not mess this up.’

They’ll say it in a joking way, but the speaker doesn’t perceive it like that.

It adds more pressure to a nerve-wracking moment.

Before the talk, just hype the speaker up and keep it pushing.

That’s all.

After the speech, give them their props.

• If you liked the speech, share what you liked about it.
• If you hated the speech, then give the speaker props for getting on stage.

Be a Good Audience Member

Being a good audience member is good karma in the public speaking world.

It doesn’t seem like much.

However, in the bigger picture, good energy comes your way.

Avoid being one of those annoying audience members who looks bored, disengaged, and distracted.

Put your phone away and give the speaker full attention.

The more you are a good audience member today, the easier it is to be a good speaker in the future.

You have pleased the public-speaking Gods, my friend.

The speaker and the audience have a sacred relationship.

And by being respectful, the seeds of good energy were planted for future speeches.

For more public speaking insights, check out the Speaking Wizard