07/09/2026
The audience were fidgeting, looking around, for help.
The speaker hadn’t noticed.
I watched this happen recently, and it was uncomfortable.
The presentation carried on, and on, and people got more and more agitated.
The clues…
People were shifting in their seats. Looking down. Glancing around. Fidgeting. Flicking through the agenda asking “what am I missing out on by enduring this…?”
Audiences sense it between each other, and good speakers can see / feel it too.
I was reminded of this when recently re-reading John Maxwell’s The 16 Undeniable Laws of Communication. He calls it “The Law of the Thermostat.” (Image is from the book).
A good communicator doesn’t avoid the mood of the room. They do something about it. “Is anyone else warm…?” they might ask.
Speed up. Slow down. Ask a question. Drop the next three slides. Tell a story. Get people involved. Change your voice. Take an unexpected pause. Adjust the environment.
Do something. Because your audience can feel helpless.
Audiences are communicating with you all the time. Not with words, but with their eyes, posture, movement and energy.
One of the presentation skills you develop through experience isn’t the 🗣️ speaking, it’s awareness.
The next time you speak, watch the room. And have the confidence to serve, and respond to your senses tell you.
Have you felt helpless as an audience member, faced with boredom?
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In the last week I’ve worked with a groom on his speech, and an executive job seeker and a founder needing to hone their pitch. Got a short-term moment that matters? Let’s discover how to make it matter.
