Chapter 66 Determine the topic of the speech according to the interests of the audience

One of the best ways to start your speech is by identifying what you're going to say based on your audience's interests when starting your speech.There is no doubt that this approach is bound to capture the hearts and minds of the listeners.Because only the things that interest us can affect us most profoundly. This truth is well-known common sense, but actually doing it is extraordinary.For example, I once heard a presentation on "The Need for Regular Health Checkups."How did he start his speech?He started by telling the history of the School of Life Science and Technology, how it works and what services it provides.This is simply ridiculous!Because the audience at the scene has no interest in this, they are only interested in things they care about!

So why ignore this basic fact?Why not show the close relationship between the School of Life Science and Technology and everyone?As a speaker, you might as well say something like this: "According to the life calculation table, do you know how long you can live? According to the calculation of the actuary in the insurance industry, the expected life expectancy of a person is three times the difference between the current age and the age of 80." Two-thirds, for example, if you are 35 years old now, the difference from 80 years old is 45 years old, and your life expectancy is two-thirds of 45 years old, that is, 30 years.

"Is this enough time? Of course not. We all wish we could live a few more years. However, the life calculator is based on the life expectancy of millions of people. "We may wish we were an exception, and if you take care of your health, that wish may come true; but to do so, you should first have regular health checks..." Then, if we then explain in detail why regular health checks are necessary, the audience will be interested in the institutions that provide the services.So talking about these institutions dispassionately in the first place is bad and deadly. Let's take another example:

I once heard a student give a speech on the urgency of protecting forest resources.He began his speech with the following: "As Americans, we should take great pride in our resources." Then he went on to describe our excessive deforestation of our own forests.It's a pity that this starts off badly because it's too general and vague.Like a mechanical printer, it doesn't make the audience feel the vital impact of deforestation on their lives, when in reality, the commercial impact is real. If there is a banker in the audience, deforestation affects the prosperity of the society, which affects its banking operations, so why not start by saying: "The subject of my speech can affect the business of everyone here. , such as Mr. Aboba and Mr. Solu present here. In fact, in a sense, it will also affect our basic necessities of life, and shake the welfare and prosperity of the entire society.”

Does this exaggerate the importance of protecting forest resources?not at all.This is simply following Albert Hubbard's injunction: "Enlarge a picture, and then arrange what is to be shown in such a way as to attract attention."