Unwilling Audiences: Know the Problem

"It's important that you know, if you can find out, why is your audience unwilling? Why is your audience hostile? Has there been a misunderstanding? Were they expecting a different speaker and you showed up? Has there been a falling out with your company and your audience? Whatever the reasons, and there could be hundreds of them, try to find out what the reason is. They really wanted Jim to speak, and Jim decided he didn't want to come and here you are. Whatever the reason is, it is really essential, if you can, that you clear things up. Clear the air if you will. I remember one time I had to give a speech to a very hostile audience. The reason they were hostile was because it was for a show, and there were no assigned seats. And so everybody was fighting over who got the best seats. I knew that when I walked in to face my hostile audience. That was the first thing that I addressed. What you want to do, if you know what the problem is, address it and address how you will fix it. Sometimes it's a really good idea to make light of the situation. Maybe you can address it, make a joke about it, if it's appropriate for that particular situation. But to ignore it will not help your audience be more willing to listen to you."