I hadn't even begun my presentation at a recent professional conference attended by over three hundred people when they were all on their feet, standing and clapping enthusiastically.
A fellow speaker, who was to follow me, walked in at just this moment looking very surprised.
At tea break he came up to me with: "Amazing! You got a standing ovation even before you started your speech! It's not something you see too often.
" Well, I've had this happen many times before.
"How?" you ask.
Let me share with you four basic strategies on how to do it.
Using these four, you can likewise get a standing ovation - yes, before and after your presentation.
As a qualified Laughter-Yoga instructor, personally trained by Yoga-laughter founder, Doctor Madan Kataria, I've learned the tricks of the trade.
Laughter Yoga which is basically about laughing without a reason is the brainchild of Dr.
Kataria.
He launched his first Laughter Club at a public park on March 13th 1995 with merely a handful of persons in attendance.
Today, Laughter Clubs have become a world-wide phenomenon with more than 6,000 clubs in around sixty countries.
And yes, there are probably several such clubs in your country.
Want to know more? You may be able to locate a club near to your home or place of work: Go to Dr.
Kataria's laughter yoga website Okay, so how did I do it? 1.
Start with Laughter .
Before I began my speech I asked all the attendees to stand up and laugh.
This sets the tone, creating an accepting, welcoming mood; great for any presenter.
You can, of course, invent your own scenarios to get that laughter going.
I sometimes suggest that each member imagine that he or she is holding an imaginary microphone in their left hand.
They then have to move around, and shake hands with five other people in the room using their right hand.
As they shake hands both of them laugh loudly expressing their happiness to meet each other.
Before they sit down, I ask them to give a resounding applause for giving the gift of happiness to five other people in the hall.
(That, incidentally, was when my fellow speaker walked in and witnessed my "standing ovation") 2.
Make Your Audience Heroes.
To me, any audience of mine are more than just passive listeners.
I treat then as both heroes and team members.
I encourage active participation.
Whenever someone stands up to make a comment or ask a question, I ask the rest of the audience to give him or her a big round of applause.
I lay it on here.
I mention that it takes courage as well as initiative to share their thoughts.
Also, in my response, I acknowledge and thank each person for his or her contribution.
I make everyone feel important.
3.
Prizes for the Wisest .
As a best-selling author, I frequently present a copy of one of my books as a prize to people who have correctly answered my Creativity Challenges ( which I term "Mindxercises") correctly.
This is a progression of the "feel good" atmosphere that I've created from the very beginning of my presentation.
An added bonus for me is that it helps to increase my book sales after my talk.
4.
End on an Enthusiastic Note.
Towards the end of my talk, I ask for feedback.
"What did you gain from what transpired here?" I'm after what they regard as their "take home" value.
Their responses often provide both me and the others listeners with new insights.
I learn more about what to include, what to drop, and what the audience most appreciated learning.
Concluding the talk, I ask the audience to stand up again and have a good laugh.
Then, while they're still on their feet, I ask they give themselves another round of applause for being such wonderful participants.
Finally, I ask them to remain standing and clap for one more time if they thought I deserved a standing ovation.
Invariably they do.
Of course, common sense must prevail.
The mood and appropriateness of the function need be considered.
Also, these strategies have to be used prudently.
We're talking about long presentations here, of maybe at least sixty minutes duration.
Additionally, with such, it pays to arrive early.
By arriving early, you can mingle, interact and get to know the participants better and of course to get them to know you too.
It does take a little effort to set up.
But it's well worth the effort.
And what speaker wouldn't like two standing ovations!
A fellow speaker, who was to follow me, walked in at just this moment looking very surprised.
At tea break he came up to me with: "Amazing! You got a standing ovation even before you started your speech! It's not something you see too often.
" Well, I've had this happen many times before.
"How?" you ask.
Let me share with you four basic strategies on how to do it.
Using these four, you can likewise get a standing ovation - yes, before and after your presentation.
As a qualified Laughter-Yoga instructor, personally trained by Yoga-laughter founder, Doctor Madan Kataria, I've learned the tricks of the trade.
Laughter Yoga which is basically about laughing without a reason is the brainchild of Dr.
Kataria.
He launched his first Laughter Club at a public park on March 13th 1995 with merely a handful of persons in attendance.
Today, Laughter Clubs have become a world-wide phenomenon with more than 6,000 clubs in around sixty countries.
And yes, there are probably several such clubs in your country.
Want to know more? You may be able to locate a club near to your home or place of work: Go to Dr.
Kataria's laughter yoga website Okay, so how did I do it? 1.
Start with Laughter .
Before I began my speech I asked all the attendees to stand up and laugh.
This sets the tone, creating an accepting, welcoming mood; great for any presenter.
You can, of course, invent your own scenarios to get that laughter going.
I sometimes suggest that each member imagine that he or she is holding an imaginary microphone in their left hand.
They then have to move around, and shake hands with five other people in the room using their right hand.
As they shake hands both of them laugh loudly expressing their happiness to meet each other.
Before they sit down, I ask them to give a resounding applause for giving the gift of happiness to five other people in the hall.
(That, incidentally, was when my fellow speaker walked in and witnessed my "standing ovation") 2.
Make Your Audience Heroes.
To me, any audience of mine are more than just passive listeners.
I treat then as both heroes and team members.
I encourage active participation.
Whenever someone stands up to make a comment or ask a question, I ask the rest of the audience to give him or her a big round of applause.
I lay it on here.
I mention that it takes courage as well as initiative to share their thoughts.
Also, in my response, I acknowledge and thank each person for his or her contribution.
I make everyone feel important.
3.
Prizes for the Wisest .
As a best-selling author, I frequently present a copy of one of my books as a prize to people who have correctly answered my Creativity Challenges ( which I term "Mindxercises") correctly.
This is a progression of the "feel good" atmosphere that I've created from the very beginning of my presentation.
An added bonus for me is that it helps to increase my book sales after my talk.
4.
End on an Enthusiastic Note.
Towards the end of my talk, I ask for feedback.
"What did you gain from what transpired here?" I'm after what they regard as their "take home" value.
Their responses often provide both me and the others listeners with new insights.
I learn more about what to include, what to drop, and what the audience most appreciated learning.
Concluding the talk, I ask the audience to stand up again and have a good laugh.
Then, while they're still on their feet, I ask they give themselves another round of applause for being such wonderful participants.
Finally, I ask them to remain standing and clap for one more time if they thought I deserved a standing ovation.
Invariably they do.
Of course, common sense must prevail.
The mood and appropriateness of the function need be considered.
Also, these strategies have to be used prudently.
We're talking about long presentations here, of maybe at least sixty minutes duration.
Additionally, with such, it pays to arrive early.
By arriving early, you can mingle, interact and get to know the participants better and of course to get them to know you too.
It does take a little effort to set up.
But it's well worth the effort.
And what speaker wouldn't like two standing ovations!
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