Speaking in front of a group of people demands knowing how to use the space around you properly. If you take a good look at all the best presenters, it’s that they know how to use the space provided to them. Because of their mastery of space, they have a better rapport with their audience, and their speeches are often well received as a result.
Having a good speech is necessary, but speaking for a seminar successfully requires a lot more. You need to know how to coordinate and use the space to lead the audience and drive the point of the seminar home.
Unfortunately, this is a severely overlooked aspect when it comes to seminars.
Below are three tips that can help you utilise space better when speaking as a public speaker or presenter in a crowded training room in Singapore:
1. Arrive Early
Preparation is key to pulling off a good speech in a seminar, and that includes arriving at the venue a bit earlier to know how to maximise the space.
Remember, it’s highly unlikely that you’ll find two seminar rooms built the same way. What worked for other seminar rooms may not be as effective for the other one. But, if you arrive early and prepare, you’ll know what kind of necessary adjustments you’ll have to make beforehand.
For example, if you see a stage that’s too high to create some intimacy between you and your audience, then maybe you can skip it and speak on the floor instead? Just because there’s a stage doesn’t mean you should use it.
2. Use Personal Space Wisely
According to an American anthropologist and cross-cultural researcher, Edward T. Hall, there are four zones in body space, and these are:
- Intimate
- Casual
- Social
- Public
When speaking, it’s important to consider just how far away you are from your audience. It’s easy to think that “Public” is your go-to zone, but you’d be wrong. The thing is, because you have so much space to utilise around you, you don’t always need to be far away from your audience to be effective.
You can change things up throughout your speech, moving closer during certain parts, especially to emphasise a particular point.
The best speakers know how to utilise the space afforded to them, going from one part of the platform to another, talking to different sections of the audience throughout their speech.
3.Don’t Be Be Afraid to Pause
Giving your audience enough space and time to think and digest what you’re saying is just as good as the quality of your words.
The absence of space or “white noise” can make your presentation very confusing because the audience’s brain hasn’t had time to process everything first. So, don’t be afraid to throw in some white noise or silence now and then.
Remember, you don’t always need to say something to drive a point across. Sometimes, silence is enough.
It doesn’t matter how large or small the training room in Singapore is. Speaking in front of people is probably one of the hardest things to do. But, you can do well if you put your mind to it and follow the three tips above.