hugh anthony, certified lifestyle speaker · author · lifestyle coach
The Audience of One is a strategy for both public speakers and storytellers to develop a more direct, easier and effective manner to connect with the individual in your audience throughout your speech presentation. You can address each person that is in your audience with intentionality and capture their attention without a break in their gaze. Your role as the public speaker and storyteller is to ensure you focus your energies and enthusiasm to keep connecting with the individual – the audience of one – until you’re done speaking.
“When I have the opportunity to speak, I am always reminded of the importance of presenting to an audience of one.”
Hugh Anthony
The Ultimate Guide to Public Speaking: 7 Steps to Professional Mastery
An exceptional public speaker knows that when speaking to an audience it is the individual that matters. The individual in your audience is your singularly most important person and as a speaker, you acknowledge that. Often times probably, you have heard speakers, make the cardinal mistake of addressing the audience in a plural tone such as ”ladies and gentlemen” or “good morning to you all” or “good afternoon to you all” or “good evening to you all”. There are strategies that guide the exceptional public speaker, which I will share with you along with The I.N.D.I.V.I.D.U.A.L Roadmap™.
Your role as an exceptional public speaker is to be aware of your responsibility to address the individual in your audience by being direct, aware and mindful, to ensure that you connect with the individual. To address the individual in your audience in a more appropriate and conscious manner; your expressions for greeting the individuals in your audience is “good afternoon to you” or “good evening to you” or just a simple and genuine “Hello”. That sure resonates, because the individual came to hear you speak, and it is the individual that forms the collective audience, they all did not arrive together at your event, the individual made the time, effort and energy to connect with you, be respectful of that.
“You are not speaking at the audience; you are speaking to the individual in the audience. This strategy not only allows you to create a deeper connection with individual, but the entire audience can feel it because they are engaged individually with intentionality.”
Hugh Anthony
The Ultimate Guide to Public Speaking: 7 Steps to Professional Mastery
The I.N.D.I.V.I.D.U.A.L Roadmap™ helps you to identify what matters to the individual audience member – the ideas, beliefs and stories you want to express. It provides a pathway for you to focus on curating your presentation to the individual and utilize proven strategies to make you develop mastery in communicating in a connected manner with – the audience of one – with competence, confidence, and expert authority.
Strategies for the I.N.D.I.V.I.D.U.A.L. Roadmap™
The individual is there to take a cultural tour of your life and curating their own understanding of your shared experiences – because they can relate anecdotally to lived-experiences in our common humanity – love, joy, happiness, kindness, sadness, pain, failures, successes, dreams, and adventures. Therefore, your responsibility as an exceptional public speaker to your – audience of one – is having an awareness of the individual, what are their expectations; their interests and how their demographic contributes to the composition of your audience members and the collective interests of the individuals that make up your audience, for example, entrepreneurs, volunteers, coders, researchers, and psychologists.
To better help you as a public speaker, here are three strategies to help you interact effectively with your audience of one:
Cultural Sensitivity
Having an understanding of the cultural nuances of the country or region you are speaking in is important for as an exceptional public speaker, as this is crucial to your success and connecting with the individual in your audience. Our world is very diverse and cultural sensitivity plays a role in bridging the differences and builds an awareness of your audience and enhances your speech presentation.
Engage with Intentionality
As an exceptional public speaker engaging your audience is your key responsibility. Speaking to connect with the individuals in your audience is your primary focus; hence, your gaze should be on the individuals in your audience. Speaking with intentionality comes from your heart, a place of authenticity, your passion and being thoughtful; will assist you in sharing your ideas to creatively engage your audience. This creates empathy with the individual in your audience as you become relatable during your presentation. Here you would have created an opportunity to have a conversation that engages the individual in an authentic manner.
Mindfulness
Speaking to your – audience of one – is the recognition that a relationship exists between you and the individual in your audience. Mindfulness helps to enhance the relationship you have established with your audience of one by allowing you to be present in the moment and be emotionally aware of your role as a public speaker. Mindfulness helps you to focus your energies, attention and awareness on the individual in your audience of one- during your presentation who is there to listen, share and learn from you as a public speaker. Being cognizant of your role, relationship, and responsibility to your audience, this helps to reduce anxiety, nervousness and assist in your presentation with your audience, because you are attentive to the individual in your audience and meeting their needs.
Hugh Anthony’s training and coaching techniques for The I.N.D.I.V.I.D.U.A.L Roadmap™ evolved from his work as a certified lifestyle speaker, lecturer, debating and public speaking coach working with both corporate and private clients over 20 years. Lifestyle partners (clients) learn through demand response, communicating with the audience of one, understanding generalizations, storytelling, role playing and how to use your authentic voice to connect with confidence, expert authority, and influence.
© Hugh Anthony 2016
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About
Hugh Anthony is a certified lifestyle speaker, author and researcher, with interests in the creative industries, tourism and hospitality, and not-for-profit sector. He is the Co-Founder | Consulting Lifestyle Director of Consulate | Milieu® a boutique lifestyle consultancy firm in Toronto, Canada that specializes in creative, avid and exciting art-based and lifestyle projects for its diverse clientele. Hugh Anthony is currently a Doctoral Researcher at the University of Waterloo, Canada where he is undertaking research on the Film Festival Industry, with his current focus being on The Role of Programming in the Film Festival Experience: Curating the Cinematic Muse.
Hugh Anthony is an enthusiastic and consummate thought leader who loves to write and is the author of the forthcoming book The Ultimate Guide to Public Speaking: 7 Steps to Professional Mastery to be published Summer 2016.
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