Is your audience sleeping?

How many times have you listened to a public speaker reading and after a few minutes you find yourself falling asleep?
As children we often were read to, prior to going to sleep for the night. It was an important part of the bedtime ritual following perhaps having a light snack, getting into your pajamas and brushing the teeth. Once we were under the covers a parent or caregiver would embark with the exercise of reading a story to us. Sometimes we had our favourite book and didn’t mind listening to it again. Often a new storybook was introduced. Sleepiness would penetrate our bodies and with great difficulty to resist, our eyes would slowly close and sleep would follow.
If we were told a story, our minds would become energized and engaged in a creative, visual, visceral experience. This method usually resulted in several stories having to be told before we were satisfied. We were stimulated.
The difference between the two latter story telling delivery methods are quite surprising. Reading often results in a monotonous, flat voice with one or two tones, with no gesturing. Telling a story provides animation, gestures, with many tones to the voice. Reading and speaking are also two very distinct methods for delivering information.
Unless you are trained as a professional speaker or voice over artist, you are probably unaware of the importance of volume, pitch, rate, melody, friendliness and confidence in the voice. Gesturing is another important communication skill.
All adults have an inner child. Patterns and experiences from childhood, good and bad stay with us throughout our lives. Being read to rekindles the inner child experience of comfort, security and sleep. Telling us a story provides alertness, engaging our imaginations and stimulating our senses.
Keep this in mind when delivering a presentation. Try to speak to your audience not read to them.