It’s easy to turn audience behaviour into an unhelpful thought.
Next time this happens to you, try this:
Notice the unhelpful thought or feeling
Engage a Shift, by replacing it with a more helpful thought and keep going,
Because you are making a difference.
Read on for 6 unhelpful thoughts.
And some Shifts to keep you on track
Looking at phone or laptop
Unhelpful thought “I’m boring them”
Shifts
“They’re tweeting my talk”
“They’re making notes” “They looked at their device”
Arms Crossed, Frowning
Unhelpful thought “They’ve rumbled me”
Shifts
“They’re thinking about my point”
“They’re cold” “Their arms are folded”
Smiling, Making Eye Contact
Unhelpful thought “They find me amusing”
Shifts
“They’re interested”
“They’re smiling” “Something amused them”
Leaves before the end
Unhelpful thought “I lost them”
Shifts
“They needed the loo”
“They had a meeting”
“Thank you for coming”
Joins midway through
Unhelpful thought “I’m their second choice”
Shifts
“Welcome, glad you found me”
“You’re in my audience now”
“You’re just in time”
Chats to person next to them
Unhelpful thought “They’re not interested”
Shifts
“I’ve sparked a discussion”
“They’re networking”
“They know each other”
What do you think?
What distracts you?
What ‘Shifts’ work for you?
Do get in touch and let me know.
In the meantime, thanks for reading. And happy conference speaking.