One of the biggest questions clients ask me when it comes to speaking in front of an audience is, “where should I look?” It’s a great question with a straightforward answer, which is, you want to engage everybody in the house. From the first row, to the back, from the left side to the right … everyone is important.

Now, that doesn’t mean engaging everyone at the same time, by frantically moving your eyes and head around the room. That’s unsettling, and kind of creepy. Take your time, and trust that you’ll engage everyone multiple times throughout the speech. If you’re making an important point, keep your eyes locked on a specific part of the crowd for dramatic effect until you’ve finished that point. Then, to heighten the drama and let that point sink in, you can pause for a beat, before shifting your focus to another part of the audience and speaking your next point to them.

One way to make this easier on yourself, and perhaps more natural, is to move around the room. If you can avoid standing behind a podium, do so. By walking, you become more visually interesting and engaging and it’s easier for you to make natural eye contact. Think of your favorite musician. When they’re on stage (if they have good stage presence) they own that space and make everyone in the crowd feel connected to them.

Doing this naturally requires some practice, but that’s okay. That’s why we’re here. If you’d like help with your public speaking, or any other facet of media coaching, just contact me and we’ll work on it together.

Thanks for reading and have a great day,

Dave