A while back, one of my friends was telling me a story - the topic of the story was not particularly interesting – but the way that he told the story kept me so engaged that not even a grenade blowing through the wall of the room could have distracted me.

I was on the edge of my seat, grinning from ear to ear, and laughing uncontrollably at certain moments. And this wasn’t the first time this happened, so I became convinced that my friend had some sort of magical gift for sucking people into his reality, and I wanted to figure out how he did it.

He wasn’t just good at speaking to a small group, I’m talking about having a whole room filled with dozens of people captivated by what he was saying. He could convince a whole party to move to another location or get everyone laughing in a few seconds. It was like he was the main event everyone came to see, and those who met him for the first time, NEVER forgot who he was.

I asked him what his approach was and all he told me was that trying to explain it was like trying to explain to someone how to whistle - it’s just one of those things you can only learn with practice.

His answer wasn’t good enough for me, I still didn’t know WHAT to practice.  I wanted to have the skill to keep an entire group of people engaged and interested in what I was saying, make a whole room laugh, or sway a decision in my favor.

I studied other great speakers and comedians who knew how to keep an entire stadium full of people focused on what they were saying. Not only focused, but clearly understanding and really connecting with them. As I did this, I started to see clear patterns, and began testing out what I learned.

So after years of piecing together what works, I’m going to share a simple concept that can make all the difference in leading a team, attracting a woman, or building rapport with a whole group of people.

Let’s get to it.
Continue reading ‘How to Captivate an Audience’