As a presenter/public speaker, you are bound to walk into a hall full of people looking to just rip your speech apart and put you down once and for all. Just when you think this is going well, a sleazy cold comment aimed directly at your confidence would hit you out of nowhere. While this does not happen in most cases, since the cold grim looks and the least interested placards are good enough to get the job done.
Since this is inevitable so you might as well learn to live with it and learn the knack of handling a difficult audience. The trick is to keep them engaged and not to give them a chance to think about their soul devouring, speech destroying acts. An audience can easily be tackled if you portray confidence and sincerity. There is no need for you too loose your cool and meddle with the plot, it is always better to go with your instinct and never let the audience take control. Here are tips for tackling a difficult audience.
Confidence is The Key
Your body language will speak for itself and the way you deliver your speech would decide the course the meeting is going to take. So be confident, make your audiences feel that you are in control and there is nothing that bothers you. Once this is accomplished it is smooth sailing from that point onward.
The 3-D Rule
One of the best rules ever formulated for any public speaker, the 3-D rule gives you the ultimate power over any kind of audience. The three D’s are Depersonalize, Detach, and Defuse. When implemented effectively these three can be your ultimate refuge from a difficult or even the worst audiences ever.
Always Be in Control
From the moment you step in the room make sure you let them know who the alpha here is, lay down clear ground rules and learn how to ignore the meddlers or tackle them effectively. You don’t need to be aggressive, when you tackle them just patient and tactful. If you can hold your own, there would never be any problem no matter where you go.
