Something like a third of humanity reports feeling lonely in the last week, globally, as has been widely reported, probably by lonely journalists.  In spite, perhaps, of all the press reports about an epidemic of loneliness in recent years, the number seems to be holding roughly steady over the past couple of decades.  The one exception to that is young people, age 16-24, who appear to be getting lonelier.

So, the data can be a bit muddled, but it appears that we’ve been in this epidemic for a long time.  It’s hard to get good information, because the questions that researchers ask – and the populations that they survey – often change over time.

But if you are a speaker looking out over an audience, wondering about how to connect with the people in front of you, you can count on a couple of things.  First, at least a third of the audience (and probably more) wants to be seen, to be acknowledged, to be counted in some way.  Second, using a classic interactive device will likely start the process of connecting and recognizing – and that move will almost certainly boost your ratings as a speaker.

What is that device?  The “turn to your neighbor and share something” moment.  It’s simple, classic, and virtually always effective.

Many speakers are afraid to do much in the way of interactivity in keynote speaking, and it is a profound shame.  A great keynote speech is a conversation.  Indeed, all communication has to feel like it is two way, or it leaves t least half of the participants feeling unsatisfied.  The bias in the speaking industry is still against much interaction.  The speaker is being paid a lot of money for showing up and speaking for 45 minutes, so he/she should do all the work, right?  That’s the unspoken bias.

And then, when you do try some interactivity, what happens?  You get a great burst of pent-up energy from the audience.  Suddenly the volume level in the room goes way up.  This makes the meeting planners nervous – they think that the speaker has lost control.  But that’s not what’s happening.  Instead, the audience is moving from passive to active – their natural state – and that energy is easily channeled and used to create an unforgettable exchange.

So, speakers – time to redefine what you do as a solo performance and instead understand that at its highest purpose it should be a conversation.  You deliver something to the audience, you ask the audience to respond, and then you close the loop with some sort of feedback and validation.  Presto!  The loneliness in the audience has been abated for the nonce, the people feel heard, you’ve completed a real communication by allowing for the feedback loop to be closed, and the meeting planners eventually settle down when the ratings come in.

The only reason to give a speech is to change the world, as I’ve said many times.  The only way to change the world as a speaker is to connect with – and move – the audience in front of you.  The only way to know if you’ve succeeded is to invite the audience to respond.

Audience interaction is underused, undervalued, and ready for you to employ it to improve your speaking.