Episode #5: How to Deal with a Heckler

You might not have someone jeering and poking fun at you during a presentation, but you better be prepared when someone challenges your authority or asks you a question with the intent to derail you.
In today's podcast, learn "How to Deal with a Heckler."

DON'T MISS THESE HIGHLIGHTS:

• What is a "heckler?" [0:55]
• Hear one of Sari's experiences [1:46]
• Power nonverbal and when to effectively use them [6:12]
• Identifying if your heckler is a bully or not [7:42]
• Keeping the group safe and you in control [9:38]
• Why breathing and detachment are critical [11:39]
• Taking your cues from the group [14:40]
• Three possible scenarios [18:19]

RESOURCE LIST:

• Roger Fisher, William Ury, and Bruce Patton - Getting to Yes: How To Negotiate Agreement Without Giving In
• ​Presentation Prep Sessions with Sari

TRANSCRIPTION:

​In a world where everything is competing for our attention, it can be next to impossible to get, much less keep, an audience engaged in what you're saying. Welcome to Soundcheck. The podcast that gives you practical tools to help you command the room, whether you're speaking to groups of 10 or 10,000. This is the podcast for speakers by a speaker. Now your host, Sari de la Motte.

Hey everybody! Welcome to another episode of Soundcheck, and today we're going to be talking about 'how to deal with a heckler'. Hopefully, you are not dealing with people in your lives or giving presentations or speaking where there are tons of hecklers, heckling you. But, I believe that every speaker must have some tools in their back pocket, so that they're never caught off guard, should this happen.

So let's talk about what I mean by a "heckler". So this is someone who hopefully, isn't heckling you like, if you're a comedian up on stage and making fun what you're saying or trying to get your goat. But what this is, is someone who, in the middle of your presentation or otherwise, even in the question and answer part, challenges you in front of the audience. I think it's really important that you know that this can happen. And that you know how to deal with it should it happen. Because, you never want to get caught off guard in front of your audience. In fact, you've probably heard me say this before, 'the number one thing that an audience wants from its speaker, is to know that you've got this'.So that includes, not just having confidence as a speaker, but having confidence in how to deal with a heckler.

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