Business Speakers, It Is Not About You! Why Your Listeners’ Behavior Should Not Derail You.

Even after much preparation, speakers can get thrown by the behavior of their listeners. In person (and virtually) they will notice that someone has an angry expression, or another person appears to be doodling, or someone else is tapping a pen in the palm of their hands.

Speakers immediately assume their audience/team/customers are annoyed, bored, or impatient.

But almost all the time, this is not the case; it is not about you. Remind yourself that a person’s expression or behavior is normal to them and rarely aimed at you. What you see as a scowl or boredom is simply the individual’s unconscious behavior.

Also, remember that there are many different learning styles. The frowning person could be a visual-learner who is closely studying the graph you displayed. The doodler could be a reading-learner taking copious notes.

If you are interested in your topic and believe in the information you are sharing, your listeners will also care. Don’t place too much importance on small behaviors. Focus on your message and let your listeners be themselves.