9. Connecting with an Audience

Most of what I have learned about communication and connection did not come from my speech and communication classes in school. My approach to public speaking has been shaped from my experience as a performer and from years of closely watching others perform. I worked my way through college playing drums in various jazz groups, beginning when I was 17. No matter how technically good the music was, I never saw a great live performance that lacked a solid connection between the performer(s) and the audience.

Playing music is a performance and also a presentation. Good presentations, like musical performances, are ...

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