I recently delivered two talks utilizing the instruction in one of Toastmaster’s Pathway Projects – Managing a Difficult Audience.
It was challenging but fun to have participants take on various roles as problematic audience members. I invited participants to take on these roles.
The Talker
The talker offers an opinion and comments on everything anyone says, even when they have nothing substantive to contribute.
The Interrupter
The interrupter has something to contribute and breaks in while someone is talking.
The Chatterer
The chatterer likes to make side comments to their neighbor – related or unrelated to the topic of discussion.
The Arguer
The arguer knows it and feels obligated to share this extensive knowledge with others. However, when others don’t agree, the arguer engages them in arguments. I asked my husband to take on this role, as I knew he would not be shy and speak up. Boy, did he speak up! lol
The Delivery
My speech was about visiting Legoland. I used PowerPoint slides. These are the key things I learned while doing this assignment. (Note, is on a Zoom call.)
Eye Contact
I kept looking at the person talking rather than keeping my eye on the camera. Thus, I lost connection with my audience members several times.
Acknowledgment
I found that listening and then acknowledging, usually with a positive, what the person said came across as professional and usually shut the person up!
Silence
I doubted this tactic would work, but boy, did it! I had two chatterers that would not stop talking to one another. Finally, after trying to interrupt them two times, I shut up. They noticed they were the only two talking in rather quickly and ended their discussion.
In conclusion
I resisted doing this particular assignment for a long time. I wish I had done it sooner, as I learned so much, and everyone had fun.
As speakers, it is helpful to be aware of tactics to handle challenging situations, like a difficult audience, ahead of time to avoid too much disruption in your presentation.
