12 Tips For Commanding a Room

As a solopreneur, you’re not always going to be holed up in your home office. Knowing how to captivate an audience is an essential skill — and it’s one that can be learned. Here are tips from More magazine on how you can be the person who’s worth listening to.

1. Shift to an owner’s mindset. “Trade up” your self-image. Swap the way you see yourself from worker bee to thought leader, pioneer, innovator.

2. Dress like a leader. Be current with you clothing and look, pay attention to small details, and put time into maintenance. Looking polished takes effort. Think of it as an investment in you.

3. Ditch the worries. Before making a presentation, change your mental focus from your worries, to your passion and excitement for the subject.

4. Know the room. Before making a speech, get there while they’re setting up the room. Check where the audience will be sitting, where the stairs are, where you might trip. It alleviates anxiety of messing up.

5. Gather pre-speech intel. Before presenting, visit with attendees and ask, “Why are you here?” It gives you a sense of the audience’s mood and allows you to use the names of people who are in the crowd: “Karen just told me…”

6. Know your job. If you’re speaking, know your role in the proceedings. Is it to express the importance of the occasion? Is it to honor and awardee?

7. Start with a great story. The most effective way to engage your audience is not with a barrage of facts and figures, but with a compelling narrative. But keep it brief — three to five minutes, max.

8. Never ask permission to tell a story. Leaders don’t ask permission to lead.

9. More Clark Kent, less Superman. You don’t have to be all-powerful and all-knowing to connect with the audience. Show your human side. Reveal your vulnerability, be human.

10. Don’t hijack sentences. Many people finish sentences for others, as a way to show off their intelligence. Instead, wait until the person has finished talking before you speak.

11. Slow down. Many people speak faster than people can listen. Learn proper pacing by mimmicking your favorite news anchor.

12. Be an actor. If you’re not comfortable with crowds, then think of yourself as an actor and act the role. It’s a trick that introverted leaders have been using for generations.