• We not I—your statements should be ones that include the entire team behind you. On stage our tendency is to say, “I have a great game planned for you” when in reality there is a huge team of “we” who make it possible to play that game.
• Don’t repeat everything . . . only the important things—if you repeat everything, your audience will tune out everything you say, not just the repeated items; if anything is worth repeating, say it first, share the rest of your things, then end with it.
• Be relaxed—a person in a hurry is uncomfortable for the audience and hard to listen to. A written list of what you need to say will help you relax; sometimes we are in a hurry because we are trying to remember everything, and we go too fast.
• Seasoned with humor—your announcements, stage presence, or message doesn’t need to be a comedy routine. Don’t use the same joke over and over or even year after year; come up with new funny things, but only use them on occasion.
• Avoid belittling questions, sarcasm, or long silences or participation gimmicks to control the crowd—treat your audience with respect, love, an expectation that they’re more mature than they are. Don’t be afraid to start talking before you have everybody’s attention; let enthusiasm be natural instead of trying to hype a crowd for little reason.

Closing Thoughts

Some of the little habits we have determine how well the audience is going to listen. Working to eliminate even the smallest of bad habits will increase our ability to communicate. Look over this list and pick one that you plan to work on.