Seems like a pretty easy question to answer, but speakers have different beliefs about this. We get this question at every session of the Bill Gove Speech Workshop, and we give the workshop philosophy to the participants. Bill Gove, the father of professional speaking, felt very strongly about this. Listen to this 2-minute audio post and let us know what you think.
Should speakers thank the audience?
Published By steve
Steve Siebold, CSP My name is Steve Siebold. I’m an author with 1.4 million books in print, and a professional speaker and consultant to Fortune 500 sales teams on how to increase sales and retention rates through mental toughness training. My corporate clients include Johnson & Johnson, Toyota, Harrah’s Entertainment, Procter & Gamble, GlaxoSmithKline, Ingersoll Rand, etc.
Hey Steve, thanks for the post. To give my feedback on this question I would have to say that thanking the audience is the only way. You brought up valid points in the fact that speakers come from all across the world, and if you don’t have a big name or a special niche then we kind of fall in the middle.
However, I believe that as a public speaker we should never get into the mind-set of believing that the audience owes us (except for the fee of course) because success is based on service to others and not the other way around. I think it’s a privilege to be called by anyone who wants to hear you speak and share your knowledge, and this shouldn’t be taken lightly. The best speakers have a service first attitude. Thanks Steve, like what you’re doing, keep the post coming.
As a speaker, I thank the audience for listening, for engaging in my material, and for being there. They could be doing a lot of things, but they chose to come and listen. Thanking the audience is natural. It keeps the energy flowing, and it keeps me in gratitude.
I agree completely with Bill. I feel privileged to be speaking to them, and I want to come back, so I thank them. The view that the audience should be thanking us leads already inflated speakers’ egos to get even worse…
I remember hearing the exact same thing when I first joined Toastmasters. I still here older members correcting newer ones when they do it.
In my opinion, every time I speak, I get so much from being there I feel as though I should thank the audience.
Great post!
Steve is right on the mark. Like dressing well and appropriately, I have never gone wrong with expressing gratitude in public.
With the greatest due respect, a speaker who actually questions if a “thank you” is appropriate to their audiance, should be in another line of work. Possibly Mc Donalds?? Brian Tracy said the first two words he learns when traveling the world are “Please and Thank you”. Steve you are sincerely one of the greatest speakers I’ve ever seen, and I want to thank you for all you give.
With Gratitude,
Charles E. Jesse
I have always believed in thanking my audience for their attention. However I keep it brief. Just one Thank you. This also gives a final termination signal that the speech has finished. Many toastmasters clubs feel they should not thank their audience. This in my opinion is an out dated philosophy created back in 1924. cheers john
Thanking the audience at the end of your speech seems a very natural thing to do. We all do it unconsciously.
I don’t expect or take for granted that people stay quiet and listen to me, giving me of their time and attention (and energy and respect, just to mention some gifts) – and if they do, it must be because I had something worth listening to (that is me giving the audience respect back).
I find it very humbling that the audience actually listens and supports you and for that, I want to say thank you.
Since when is common courtesy controversial? (Sadly, all too often these days.) As a speaker and generally grateful person anyway I would be thankful for the opportunity to be there, for a chance to share my message, for the audience being there and attentive knowing they surely have other things they could be doing with their time. To me, it would be unnatural NOT to thank them.
Thank you for listening, hearing me out.
All my sad sorrow needed, no doubt,
Kindness and sharing…
– Unknown author.
There is no doubt in the fact that audience is receiving information during a speech, so, it should be thankful. But… today there is so much information to receive, about everything. There are so many opinions in the world that want to be heard.
Audience of today is spoiled like a baby, choosing what to listen and what not to. If you are a speaker you are interested in your audience. If you are presenting, you are trying to “buy” people’s opinion, so, you want to make them believe in what you are saying. Good news: you are doing everything right. Bad news: there are hundreds and maybe even thousands of speakers who are trying to “buy” their audience. Audience is the King, because it is choosing whom to listen.
If you are “chosen” as a speaker, it’s a great achievement. Thank your audience!
Thank you 🙂
No it’s not needed. I remember in school my teachers told us not to say thank you when we were writing our speeches, and sure enough, 1st and 2nd place in regionals did not end with ‘thank you’.