Do you give your audiences the impression that you’re speaking for their benefit, not your own?

That’s what “goodwill” means for a presenter—and it’s a quality that’s absolutely essential for speaking success.

Yet how often have you seen speakers who appear to love to listen to themselves talk?  For instance, the next time you attend a meeting or presentation, pay attention to whether the speaker is making an effort to be sure his or her audience is receiving critical information.

Does he or she make eye contact?  Is the speaker seeing the nonverbal communication coming his or her way?  Does that person stop their soliloquy from time to time to solicit input from others in the room or auditorium?

Just eye contact, for instance, can make an enormous difference. How can anyone even pretend to be concerned with the needs of an audience if the notes on a lectern are more important than the people in the seats?

It just makes sense:  audiences who think a speaker cares about them are infinitely more inclined to trust and be influenced by that presenter.

Being a Responsible Speaker

Remember, you should be in complete control as a speaker. You have the power to shape the thoughts and opinions of others; and in some cases, to change people’s lives. 

To be a responsible speaker is to use that power benignly and constructively.  Playing power politics with your audiences can reap short-term benefits; yet eventually, the message of who you really are will emerge.

As a speaker, you must place your listeners front-and-center at all times.  Look at people when you talk to them, and use facial expressions—exactly the way you would to a friend sitting across from you at Starbucks.

And pay attention to people’s reactions.  If they appear confused or uninterested, you may have to repeat a key item, state something a different way, or think up a metaphor to illustrate your point. 

Here’s a touchstone you can use when it comes to gauging your goodwill as a speaker:  If you are truly and completely engaged with the needs of your listeners, you won’t experience a single “How am I doing?” moment.  You’ll simply have more important things on your agenda.