You're asking people to pay you some attention, and... nothing happens. Then you ask again, "Please give me a moment of attention."
In return, you will see a few raised eyebrows and the looks of the listeners, which are very similar to the drowsy fish that come to you. Before you are an army that sleeps peacefully in its barracks at night. None of them care about what is happening now, and only one person is interested in it - you yourself.
If during your performance the spectators behave like an army after the end of the war, it's time for a revolution. Today, to cheer up, the audience wants to hear a good speech, but almost can't stand single flights. She wants to hear a speech supported by heavy artillery.
Am I exaggerating? It is enough to look at the speakers whose speeches are written in advance. Each of them knows how to prepare for the victory parade. They make listeners laugh, cry or freeze in shock - anything but apathetic and detached. This military strategy is nothing new; it has been part of a cunning arsenal of salesmen for decades. They don't have blanks: if they don't sell anything, they won't have anything to eat. This is a simple matter of survival.
Have you ever stopped in amazement at how a wandering merchant can convince people to invite him to their home and then buy something they don't need? These merchants are brilliant, and their ingenuity would have been the envy of Napoleon himself. Their military tactics deserve careful study.
I once participated in a television program that analyzed street vendors' communications, and I went to Sao Paulo to talk to them. I was impressed. Their most important resource was creativity!
One of them told me that to attract the attention of passers-by, he shouted a few words and waited for a reaction. This arouses people's interest, so they slow down the step and already have to listen to the seller.
Another trader noticed that he paid close attention to the audience he was talking to. If people start to change from foot to foot and look around, it is clear that they are impatient and want to leave. In this situation, he takes the tactical trick of changing the subject and telling a funny, entertaining story - one that can reawaken people's interest. If that doesn't work, it's time to bring Katerina into the game. Katerina is a huge snake that has learned to smoke. It never fails. After her first puffs, no one is going to leave.
A third merchant told me that after several stories that made the audience laugh to tears, N should infiltrate enemy territory. N was his accomplice, who was waiting for the right moment to go ahead and buy the goods as if he couldn't resist the pressure of the seller's arguments. Let's not forget, the seller explained with the knowledge that there is a war going on, and from the implemented "mole N" harm will not be.
Even if Katerina and the "mole N" are ignored, every trader has set an excellent example of creativity, which is not taught even in the best universities. Go and explore the field of battle to come. Take the day off, go outside and learn a little more about this effective and creative way of communicating.
It's a tempting walk.
- Costs: No.
- Venue: Anywhere there are street vendors.
- Time: Anyone.
- Deadline for registration: None.
- Speaker: anonymous.
- Diploma: University of Life.
Get your Certificate of Completion, include creativity in your communication skills, plan your presentation and start your performance.
The examples above show that creativity is akin to inspiration in many ways, so these concepts are often confused with each other. As you have learned from the examples with street vendors, being creative means doing everything possible to turn trivial into the exceptional, using inspiration to find new ways to awaken the senses of listeners and keep them focused.
Let's return to the question of observing speech skills: we must also consider the emotional and intellectual mood of the audience. The lower the culture of the listeners or the less time has passed since they have experienced strong happiness or grief, the more emotional our message should be. The higher the intellectual level of the audience and the more distant it is from events that can awaken strong feelings, the more rational your presentation should be. Creativity is only good when the audience is sensitive enough to the natural, effortless assimilation of the essence of your performance.