Latest / The Confident Entrepreneur With Jennifer Ann Johnson / Practical Speaking Techniques That Make Audiences Lean In With Jennifer Ann Johnson
Transcript
- 0:38Jennifer Johnson: I've been speaking professionally for quite a few years now, and people often ask me, what's the secret to being a great speaker?
- 0:46Jennifer Johnson: Here's the thing: there's no magic formula, but there's definitely some simple shifts that can make a huge difference.
- 0:52Jennifer Johnson: And I don't mean the typical imagine your audience and their underwear advice.
- 0:56Jennifer Johnson: I'm talking about real practical things that actually work.
- 0:59Jennifer Johnson: So today I want to share three of my favorite techniques with you.
- 1:02Jennifer Johnson: They're the ones that really transform my speaking journey, and I've seen them work for everyone from the nervous first-timer to a seasoned executive.
- 1:11Jennifer Johnson: So the number one, number one is the power of the pause.
- 1:16Jennifer Johnson: This is gonna be, this is gonna be very surprising too, I know, but the number one thing that changed everything for me wasn't about my voice or my gestures.
- 1:23Jennifer Johnson: It was about learning to embrace the pause.
- 1:26Jennifer Johnson: And now you're thinking, pauses, those awkward silences that everyone makes that everyone feels uncomfortable with.
- 1:33Jennifer Johnson: But here's what I discovered.
- 1:35Jennifer Johnson: Most of us are terrified of silence when we're speaking.
- 1:38Jennifer Johnson: We rush from point to point, filling every second with words because we think that's what keeps people engaged.
- 1:45Jennifer Johnson: But actually, it's the exact opposite.
- 1:49Jennifer Johnson: The pause is your secret weapon.
- 1:51Jennifer Johnson: It's like a spotlight that says, hey, this thing I just said, that's important.
- 1:55Jennifer Johnson: You need to think about it.
- 1:57Jennifer Johnson: Here's what I want you to try.
- 1:59Jennifer Johnson: When you finish making a key point, don't immediately jump to the next one.
- 2:03Jennifer Johnson: Stop.
- 2:04Jennifer Johnson: Count to three in your head.
- 2:07Jennifer Johnson: You know, you're going one Mississippi, two Mississippi.
- 2:10Jennifer Johnson: I know it feels like an eternity, but to your audience, it's just a thoughtful moment.
- 2:16Jennifer Johnson: Here's the part that really changed the game.
- 2:18Jennifer Johnson: It's not, it's about, isn't about the timing, it's about the confidence.
- 2:22Jennifer Johnson: When you can be comfortable with silence, you show your audience that you're in control.
- 2:27Jennifer Johnson: You're not rushing because you're nervous.
- 2:30Jennifer Johnson: You're taking your time because what you're saying matters.
- 2:35Jennifer Johnson: I remember the first time I tried this, I was speaking to about 200 people, and I had just made a really important point about a topic that we were discussing.
- 2:44Jennifer Johnson: And instead of rushing into my next story, like I usually did, I stopped, I looked around the room.
- 2:50Jennifer Johnson: The silence felt like it was forever to me, but it was probably only two or three seconds.
- 2:56Jennifer Johnson: And in that moment, I could literally feel the audience's attention sharpen.
- 3:02Jennifer Johnson: They leaned forward, they were thinking about what I had just said, and instead of waiting for what came next.
- 3:09Jennifer Johnson: That pause gave me the confidence and it gave my audience a chance to absorb the message.
- 3:13Jennifer Johnson: It's like putting a frame around your most important ideas.
- 3:17Jennifer Johnson: So try it in your next conversation or even just with your friends, but make it a point.
- 3:22Jennifer Johnson: Pause for three seconds, then continue.
- 3:25Jennifer Johnson: You will be amazed at how much more weight your words carry and how much more engaged people actually become.
- 3:33Jennifer Johnson: Tip number two is talk to one person at a time.
- 3:38Jennifer Johnson: This changed how I connect with audiences.
- 3:40Jennifer Johnson: And it's so simple that you may think I'm just kidding, but instead of trying to talk to everybody in the room at once, I talked to one person at a time.
- 3:47Jennifer Johnson: When I first started speaking, I'd scan the room constantly, trying to make eye contact with as many people as I possibly could.
- 3:54Jennifer Johnson: I look like a sprinkler system.
- 3:56Jennifer Johnson: And ironically, I wasn't really connecting with anyone.
- 4:00Jennifer Johnson: Then a mentor told me something that stuck.
- 4:02Jennifer Johnson: When you're talking to everyone, you're talking to no one.
- 4:06Jennifer Johnson: So I started picking one friendly face and delivering my opening thought just to them.
- 4:12Jennifer Johnson: Then I'd move to another person for my next idea.
- 4:15Jennifer Johnson: One complete thought, one person.
- 4:17Jennifer Johnson: The magic in that was that I was doing just that.
- 4:22Jennifer Johnson: I was talking to one person.
- 4:25Jennifer Johnson: I was focusing on them.
- 4:26Jennifer Johnson: And everyone in that section of the room feels like you're talking directly to them.
- 4:30Jennifer Johnson: It creates this intimate feeling, even in a big audience.
- 4:34Jennifer Johnson: But here's the key: don't just look at them.
- 4:36Jennifer Johnson: Actually talk to them.
- 4:39Jennifer Johnson: Imagine you're having coffee and you're with a person.
- 4:42Jennifer Johnson: Ask yourself, how would I explain this to my friend?
- 4:45Jennifer Johnson: And then explain it in that way.
- 4:48Jennifer Johnson: I learned this the hard way during a presentation about a few years ago.
- 4:53Jennifer Johnson: I was speaking to a group of small business owners and I was delivering all of this polished and formal content about opportunities and mindset.
- 5:03Jennifer Johnson: And halfway through I noticed this woman, and she was looking completely confused.
- 7:34Jennifer Johnson: So I stopped being a professional speaker lady, and I started talking directly to her, like I was explaining it to my sister.
- 7:42Jennifer Johnson: Look, I said, what this really means is, and I gave her a simple real-world example.
- 7:47Jennifer Johnson: The whole room perked up after my talk.
- 7:50Jennifer Johnson: Person after person came up and said, When you start talking about that example, everything finally clicked for me.
- 7:57Jennifer Johnson: That's when I realized that being conversational isn't unprofessional, it's more professional because people actually understand and remember what you're saying.
- 8:07Jennifer Johnson: Tip number three stories trump everything.
- 8:13Jennifer Johnson: This is actually my favorite tip.
- 8:15Jennifer Johnson: It's the one that makes the biggest difference in how people remember your presentations.
- 8:20Jennifer Johnson: Are you ready?
- 8:21Jennifer Johnson: Tell stories.
- 8:23Jennifer Johnson: Tell real stories about real things that happen to real people.
- 8:29Jennifer Johnson: I'm not talking about elaborate, perfect anecdotes and dramatic clock twists.
- 8:33Jennifer Johnson: I'm talking about simple, honest moments that illustrate the point.
- 8:37Jennifer Johnson: The kind that you'd tell your neighbor over a fence.
- 8:41Jennifer Johnson: And here's why it works so well.
- 8:43Jennifer Johnson: Our brains are wired for stories.
- 8:46Jennifer Johnson: We remember stories about 22 times more than we remember facts and statistics.
- 8:51Jennifer Johnson: But more importantly, stories make us feel something.
- 8:55Jennifer Johnson: And when people feel something, they care about what you're actually saying.
- 8:59Jennifer Johnson: Let me give you an example.
- 9:00Jennifer Johnson: I was talking to a group about the importance of clear communication, and we were doing a training on customer service.
- 9:08Jennifer Johnson: I could have rattled off some statistics about workplace communication and costs.
- 9:14Jennifer Johnson: Instead, I told them about a friend who sent what he thought was a funny emoji to his boss and accidentally almost got fired because it came across as disrespectful.
- 9:25Jennifer Johnson: Everyone in that room could picture themselves in his shoes.
- 9:28Jennifer Johnson: They were thinking, oh no, I must have done that too.
- 9:31Jennifer Johnson: And suddenly, my point about being intentional with communication wasn't just good advice.
- 9:37Jennifer Johnson: It was something that they personally needed to pay attention to.
- 9:40Jennifer Johnson: The best part, your stories don't have to be dramatic or life-changing.
- 9:44Jennifer Johnson: Some of the most effective stories are about mundane things, getting lost because you didn't ask for directions or learning something surprising from one younger person that you knew.
- 9:56Jennifer Johnson: Here's what I want you to do.
- 9:57Jennifer Johnson: Think about the main point you want to make in your next presentation.
- 10:01Jennifer Johnson: Now ask yourself, what did I learn from this lesson?
- 10:05Jennifer Johnson: What happened that made me realize what was important?
- 10:09Jennifer Johnson: That's your story.
- 10:10Jennifer Johnson: Don't worry, worry about making it perfect or polished.
- 10:13Jennifer Johnson: The most powerful stories are the honest ones, complete with the awkward moments and the imperfect endings.
- 10:19Jennifer Johnson: People connect with our humanity and not our highlights, highlight real.
- 10:24Jennifer Johnson: And here's my bonus tip: if you can't think of a personal story, borrow one from somebody you know.
- 10:30Jennifer Johnson: Just be honest about it.
- 10:31Jennifer Johnson: Say, well, my colleague told me something last week that really stuck with me.
- 10:35Jennifer Johnson: People love hearing about other people's experiences as well.
- 10:40Jennifer Johnson: So there you have it.
- 10:41Jennifer Johnson: Three simple shifts that can transform how you connect with any audience.
- 10:47Jennifer Johnson: I know I love these techniques because they actually work.
- 10:52Jennifer Johnson: They're not about becoming someone else or putting on a performance.
- 10:55Jennifer Johnson: They're about becoming more yourself, the version of yourself that people want to listen to because you're genuine, you're present, and you're interesting.
- 11:05Jennifer Johnson: Remember, every expert was once a beginner, every confident speaker was once nervous.
- 11:11Jennifer Johnson: The difference isn't talent or natural ability, it's just practice and a willingness to be real with people.