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Along with leadership, emotional intelligence and teamwork, knowing how to speak well in public has become one of the skills most in demand by companies.
- In the second Wayco Learn of the season, Carmela Lloret, CEO of Empresa a Escena, taught theatre techniques for effective communication.
As a connoisseur of the most effective communication techniques for public speaking, our coworker Carmela Lloret , CEO of Empresa a escena, started his public speaking workshop with one of the most popular and successful ways to capture the audience’s attention: throwing a question in the air.
What nobody imagined was what would come next. “Who dances flamenco?”, said Carmela, and then she began to stamp her feet and clap her hands. Another practical demonstration of how to introduce the surprise factor into a performance.
Whether you are preparing for a business meeting, an interview or selling a product to potential clients, these are the four techniques that Carmela suggests you apply:
1. The surprise
“Basically, surprise is the capacity of any person to transport the other person to the present. What happens at the cognitive level, at the level of knowledge, is that at the very instant of surprise, the mind quiets down, no thought arises, that is, it cuts the mental chain and captures the attention of the perceiver”.
To cause this emotion, we can resort to verbal and non-verbal language. Using unusual or excessively formal words such as perspicuous, and making drastic changes in the tone and volume of our voice, or leaving moments of silence or short pauses, are some examples.
2. HumourÂ
Humour is the second tool to capture the audience’s attention. “The thing about humour is that it creates a relaxing atmosphere where joy and laughter appear, and for a moment, we forget about our problems. We are more receptive to new messages.
As well as influencing the mood of the audience and predisposing them to listen, humour helps the group to cohere and the message to be remembered more easily.
3. The noveltyÂ
“What happens to the mind with novelty is that it gets kind of happy, it gets excited. When people face the unknown or do something for the first time, they tend to focus their energy on the present moment. “Concentration multiplies efficiency”, says Carmela.
Although the speech is a novelty in itself, its content matters a great deal in terms of attracting interest. Research the audience where possible, write clearly, structure the content well and practise it beforehand.
4. Non-verbal language
According to a study cited by Carmela, the audience forms the impression of a leader’s competence in half a minute, a time in which, according to her, the only thing that works is non-verbal language.
As we mentioned earlier, this includes tone of voice, gestures, pauses, looks, smiles…. In order to be aware of this aspect and control it, Carmela suggests that, during our intervention, we try to ask ourselves what our body is emitting.
“Non-verbal language support makes language more understandable and helps to remember it. It also has a clear effect on our mood and what we project to the audience. Emotion is, in part, a bodily expression”.
About Empresa a Escena
Empresa a escena is a consultancy that trains independent professionals, organisations and companies to speak in public in order to positively influence their environment. Through personalised workshops that incorporate theatrical, journalistic and neuro-linguistic programming techniques, you learn how to engage your audience in a clear, concise and convincing way. The result is to become someone people want to listen to.
About Wayco Learn
The Wayco Learn workshops are theoretical and practical training sessions, offered by Wayco members with the aim of teaching new professional skills to the rest of the community. The theme of the workshops focuses on each coworker’s area of specialisation, ranging from the creation of digital products to public speaking techniques, including sustainable food and architecture.
– Video of Carmela Lloret’s workshop at Wayco Ruzafa
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