Working an audience does not come naturally. Nor does public speaking. Ask Michael Bay, the Transformer dude.
Too often speakers want to be in control. Gosh, don’t most people want to be in control? All?
Aren’t we usually afraid of the unexpected? Especially when 5, 50, 500 or 5,000 people might see us NOT know how to react when something we didn’t anticipate pops up?
Therein lies the difference between the professional and the true professional.
Related: More of the 17 skills
The true professional cruise ship lecturer is comfortable being uncomfortable.
Not everything has to go the way s/he expects. In fact, when things take a turn and go down a street they have never been before it becomes an adventure to be capitalized on rather then feared or shied away from.
Nobody can predict who will say what and when and act how. Expecting the unexpected and anticipating how you might respond invites the unexpected and makes it fun for you, the speaker, and the audience.
More often than not it is the unexpected visitor to your best laid plans that make for a memorable presentation.
When working the audience, give serendipity a chance.
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