Lesson

ps3-4. Silence is loud

If your audience laughs at your jokes, keep quiet and enjoy the laughter. That is a sure sign you have successfully connected with them. Continue holding your silence as long as they continue laughing.

If they constantly interrupt your speech with applause, fantastic. Consider the applause part of your presentation. Let them keep going. Wait until the applause dies down before continuing. However, cut down your speech from the middle part so you can still deliver your conclusion in full and end on time.

Under no circumstances should you stop your speech to answer questions. This will destroy your momentum and annoy everyone other than the speaker.
​
Here is an example of Nikki Haley, former US Ambassador to the United Nations, introducing Congressman Ralph Norman, the main speaker for a campaign in South Carolina.

See how she moves on the stage, speaking to all sides of the room.

Notice how she stops speaking when the audience laughs. She waits for them to quiet down before continuing. 

And several times after that, when the audience applauds, she stops speaking.

She picks up where she left off as soon as the room quiets down. This way, the audience hears every word she says. 

Never compete with the noise, and never rush through your speech. 

Practice

We are going to simulate a loud audience. First, practice without recording a two-minute talk on a subject you enjoy and know well, so you do not have to write a speech. Just practice keeping it under two minutes.

Play the audio or video when you are ready to talk for the video. Once you start it, you will have 10 seconds before it begins, so you have time to get it in place.

​When the audience makes noise, stop talking until it dies down. The noise will interfere with your speech, so you need to shorten it because your talk must end after two minutes. Good luck!