Something powerful… How do you get an audience’s attention using keywords?
Pauses can be used to make your listeners anticipate the words you are about to say. Doing so will not only train you to get your message across, but also help you to level up your talk! Keep reading to know how you can effectively turn keywords into Power Words in your speech or presentation.
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Something powerful… How do you get an audience’s attention using keywords? Crowd. Stage. Microphone. Spotlight. When we decide to go on stage, grab a mic, and stand in front of a spotlight and crowd, we want to be heard. We want people to listen. In speeches and presentations, we prepare powerful discussions to inspire, connect, and educate people. Sometimes… … in the middle of a speech or presentation, we could lose some of the audience’s attention. We need to make sure that that doesn’t happen. What can we do so the audience is focused on what we’re saying all throughout? Use POWER WORDS. — This is just one of the powerful secrets featured in James C. Humes’ book, “Speak Like Churchill, Stand Like Lincoln.” Great speakers usually keep their speeches pithy and to the point. Though they may want to express several important points, they know their goal is to thoughtfully inform and not simply to display how much they know. Great speakers understand this. They also understand it can be a little overwhelming to try to summarize all these points into a few sentences and still keep the audience engaged. This is where keywords come in. As a speaker, you want the audience to focus on what’s important. To do that, you need to emphasize certain words or phrases to help your audience understand and follow the discussion. How can you turn your keywords into power words? Shouting it out loud is not the answer. On the contrary, staying silent is. Use a power pause before saying the word you want to stress. Edward Murrow, a prominent journalist during World War II, used this strategy in his radio show to make his listeners focus on words or phrases that he wants to highlight: “This is [pause] London.” “This [pause] is the news.” With a similar approach, General MacArthur in 1942, as he left the Philippines during World War II, said his famous line: “I shall [pause] return.” These great speakers are known for incorporating attention-grabbing pauses that lead listeners to focus on the next words or phrases they’re going to utter. Try using uncommonly used words. Winston Churchill, a British statesman, orator, and author who became a prime minister twice and led his country through World War II, also used power pauses to introduce compelling or unusual words. When he spoke in the U.S. Lend-Lease program in 1941, he said: “This act is a most [pause] unsordid act.” Another example… “Perhaps I have been guilty of a [pause] terminological inexactitude.” Using words like these in your speech or presentation sparks the audience’s curiosity and captures their attention. How many times should you use this effective tip? You can use it as often as you like. Just make sure you use it during the appropriate parts of your discussion. A power word in every sentence, partnered with a power pause every time, would be very odd. Emphasizing too many words would be funny and awkward for your audience. It also defeats the purpose of emphasis. As the examples from famous speakers in history showed us, this tip is effective in driving important points home. Try turning your keywords to power words when you need to get up on stage. You’ll surely get everyone’s attention! Hope you’ve found this week’s public speaking tip interesting and helpful. Follow us on LinkedIn. Stay tuned for next Wednesday’s Speak on the Shoulders of Giants! Learn more about Power Buttons on next week’s Speak on the Shoulders of Giants! |
