I was getting ready to speak to a group of linemen and meter readers for the city of Springfield, MS. Before the talk, I was hanging out with the audience and introducing myself to as many people as I could. When I got to Ed, a large 6’ 3” man with huge hands, he enveloped my hand in his giant mitt and gripped it tightly. Not enough to hurt, but enough to get my attention. Then he asked, “Why you goin around and asking everybody their name? You goin to remember everybody’s name?”
“No Ed,” I told him. “But I will remember yours!”
Well, now I knew who I would question as part of my talk introduction. Here’s how it went:
“Hey Ed?” I hollered out. Ed looked at me cautiously knowing that I was up to no good and said,
“Yea.” I paused for a moment and then said,
“Are you married Ed?” Now it was Ed’s turn to pause. He smiled and said,
“Yep.”
“Did you get married in a church?”
“Nope.”
At this point two things were going on in my mind. One was that Ed might not have been the best person to call on, seeing that I was only getting short one syllable answers. My other thought was that I knew Springfield Missouri was farm country and because of Ed’s laid-back nature and size there was a good chance he grew up on a farm. So, I now asked Ed,
“Did you get married at home on your farm?”
“Yep.”
“Did you have a preacher come to your house to marry you?”
“Yep.”
“Were just a few family members and friends there?”
“Yep.”
“Did you two newlyweds go on a honeymoon?”
“Yep.”
Now I’m thinking, ‘enough of this yep and nope stuff!’ So, I asked Ed a question that he would have to answer with more than one syllable. But I didn’t get the answer I expected, that’s for sure.
“Ed, where did you go on your honeymoon?” Without a moment’s hesitation he said,
“To bed.”
I busted out laughing and so did everyone else in the room. It was an awesome way to start a talk. (Later I sat at lunch with Ed. He was a great guy with a sharp wit. I’m glad I picked him.)
For most of my speaking career, I’ve found that the best way to get an audience involved in a topic is to make them part of it. And one of the best ways to do that is by asking personal questions about opinions or life events that an audience member will easily know the answer to. ( “Mary, Do you like coffee?” “Tom, how long does it take you to drive to work?” “Amy, what do other drivers do that bothers you?” etc.)
Try it at your next safety meeting or presentation. (If I have a large audience I’ll sometimes bring a volunteer onto the stage.) Ask a “personal question.” Not too intimate; you don’t want to embarrass anyone. But personal enough so that it will get your audience to realize the session is about them, not just a required safety topic.
As always, I’d love to hear about your experiences.
‘till next time.
Richard
